Water is a precious resource and it has never been more important to use it wisely. With declining rainfall in the state's South West, it is essential we all work together to reduce water consumption and conserve it for all to use now and into the future.
Here are some ideas and resources to help you reduce your water use in the garden and around the home, save money and be kind to the environment. You can also find out what the Town is doing as a Waterwise Council to conserve water across its operations.
There are many ways to save water around the home and many great resources to show you how.
Check out the Water Corporation website for lots of water saving tips and ideas, water saving products, water wise gardening, watering days and how to calculate your water use.
Visit the Switch Your Thinking website for their top 10 tips for saving water at home, plus Rewards for Resident discounts on pool covers, rainwater tanks and household audits.
Want to know which waterwise plants to use in your garden?
Check out these guides and resources:
https://www.perthnrm.com/nrmwp/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/PNRMCM_CoastalPlantingGuide.pdf
https://www.watercorporation.com.au/Waterwise/Waterwise-plants
http://joshshouse.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/2-151126-Waterwise-Gardening.pdf
https://apacewa.org.au/nursery/
With a drying climate there is increasing pressure on Perth's groundwater supply. Groundwater management is essential to ensure a secure supply in the future.
Responsible use of bore water
Bore water owners are required to adhere to sprinkler restrictions from 1 September to 31 May.
A total winter sprinkler ban also applies between 1 June and 31 August.
For more tips on using a garden bore wisely go to the Bores webpage at the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation website.
Also read more about Perth's groundwater story and being groundwater wise on the Be Groundwater Wise website.
Fertilise Wise
One way to protect ground water quality is to use fertilisers sparingly. Excess fertiliser contributes nutrients to groundwater. This then enters rivers and wetlands where it can fuel algal blooms, significantly impacting water quality and ecosystem health.
For more information on how you can use fertilisers wisely visit the Fertilise Wise website.
Aquifer Recharge
Managed aquifer recharge is one way that declining ground water resources can be preserved. In partnership with the Western Regional Organisation of Councils (WESROC) and the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation , the Town is investigating superficial aquifer recharge in the western suburbs.
For more information on managed aquifer recharge see the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation.
You can reduce water consumption by choosing water efficient products. The Water Corporation has developed a list of products and services that are West Australian endorsed, helping consumers to make informed choices on water savings.
Visit the Water Corporation website for more information and find a local provider or service.
The Town endeavours to conserve water across its operations and achieved Waterwise status in 2010. The Waterwise Council Program, established in 2009, is a partnership between Water Corporation and the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation .
The Town has consistently received a Gold Waterwise endorsement from the Water Corporation every year since 2018. Bold Park Aquatic Centre has been Gold endorsed since 2021. The Wembley Golf Course has also been a leader in water savings over a number of years, becoming the first public Golf Course to receive a Gold endorsement under the Department of Water Scheme every year since 2013.
The internationally applied Water Sensitive Cities Index is a benchmarking tool to map your Council’s urban water management performance against set indicators. The Town carried out a benchmarking assessment exercise in 2019, compared to larger cities and neighbouring local Council we performed extremely well. We have since taken actions to further progress towards becoming a Water Sensitive City, by completing the Perry Lakes Replenishment project, upgrading irrigation systems allowing for online monitoring linked to a weather station, and ensuring greater community involvement in water projects. Aboriginal consultation allowed for the establishment of a comprehensive Management Plan at Perry Lakes and has informed the future swales upgrades at Lake Monger to improve water quality.
Read more in our most recent assessment(PDF, 1MB)
Winter Sprinkler Ban
The Winter Sprinkler Ban is an annual water saving measure and saved approximately 5 billion litres of water during the 2019 winter period throughout Western Australia.
The ban applies to scheme water and bore water.
The ban is in place from 1 June to 31 August every year.
Find out more about scheme water
Find out more about bore water