11 October 2008
SHORTER SHOWERS URGED AS STORAGES FLATLINE
Melbourne’s four water authorities will encourage people to take shorter showers as part of a campaign aimed at conserving storages ahead of what is likely to be another hot, dry summer.
Managing Director of Melbourne Water, Rob Skinner, said the print and radio advertisements came towards the end of the traditional winter-spring filling period for the city’s nine reservoirs.
"Melbourne’s storages have been doing it tough. The runoff they rely on has been down to around half of the long-term average for most of the year, because patchy rainfall has left the catchments parched," said Mr Skinner.
"We need a decent downpour to wet the catchments, followed by sustained rain to generate runoff into reservoirs, before we’ll see a meaningful movement in storage levels.
"Storages are now at their lowest level for this time of year since the Thomson was completed in 1984," he said.
Winter and spring are normally when storages recharge ahead of the warmer months, but they have increased by just 5% of total capacity since 1 July 2008. By comparison, the increase over the same period (1 July - 10 October) in 2007 was 9.1 %.
"While we have more than enough water in storage to get through to next winter, it’s important for us to maintain a healthy buffer until Tarago Reservoir, Sugarloaf Pipeline and the desalination plant come online in 2009, 2010 and 2011," added Mr Skinner.
"Households and business have done a magnificent job reducing their water consumption, with per capita usage now a third lower than it was in the 1990s.
"We know that water consumption tends to creep up in warmer weather, but this year it’s more important than ever for people to keep up discretionary water saving habits on top of restrictions," he said.
The ‘Saving for Summer’ campaign focuses on the bathroom, which accounts for half of household water use. Starting Sunday, print, radio and online advertisements over six weeks will ask people to take 4-minute showers and swap their old shower heads for a free, efficient one. Cutting shower time from an average of 7 minutes to 4 minutes saves around 42 litres every shower.
The $750,000 campaign is supported by Yarra Valley Water, South East Water, City West Water, Melbourne Water and Department of Sustainability and Environment. Free shower timers will be given out as part of the campaign. For more information, visit ourwater.vic.gov.au or contact 13 61 86. For a free shower timer, SMS 'TIMER' to 13 46 88.
Melbourne’s water storages are 34.6% full, compared with 40.1% at the same time last year - a difference of almost 110 billion litres. Stage 3a restrictions are in place until at least 30 November.
Media contact: Andrew McGinnes (03) 9235 7277; 0403 930 846