Urban water corporations will continue to track the status of water supplies and demands as well as their projections for the year ahead. This information is released each year on 1 December in an annual water resource outlook. The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning will prepare a state-wide outlook drawing on the water corporation outlooks. The newly developed water grid oversight role will inform the urban water strategies and state-wide outlook (see Chapter 9: Realising the potential of the grid and markets). These will provide valuable information on supply and demand, and guide integrated water management. Action 5.2 – Better urban water planning to address key challenges Urban water corporations will develop urban water strategies that include: climate and population projections that are comparable across water corporations drought preparedness planning looking at all drinking and non-drinking water sources and the appropriate use of each source to protect human health. Continued role for water efficiency The community and industry have an essential role in urban water and our culture of water efficiency. This was demonstrated during the Millennium Drought. The contribution made by communities and businesses in reducing water use during this time has been widely attributed as the reason Melbourne did not run out of water. This included the Target 155 program, a voluntary water efficiency program to encourage Melbourne households to limit their water use to 155 litres per person per day. As part of the next stage of water efficiency initiatives, the government and the water sector will develop materials to help communities better understand the urban water cycle, the importance of water in the urban environment, and challenges we face. Action 5.3 – Reinvigorate water efficiency programs for Melbourne and regional Victoria We will help communities better understand urban water challenges and what they can do to achieve results by: rolling out the next generation of the Target 155 program for Melbourne, and developing the ‘Target Your Water Use’ program for regional Victoria, to help people understand the importance of water and manage their water use making sure water corporations continue to work actively with industries that use a lot of water to find ways to improve water efficiency building on the Schools Water Efficiency Program by increasing the number of schools in the program and expanding it to other areas, such as government buildings promoting the water corporations’ ‘Choose Tap’ campaign (or similar), which provides readily available drinking water that supports public health and reduces waste.
Urban water corporations will continue to track the status of water supplies and demands as well as their projections for the year ahead. This information is released each year on 1 December in an annual water resource outlook. The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning will prepare a state-wide outlook drawing on the water corporation outlooks. The newly developed water grid oversight role will inform the urban water strategies and state-wide outlook (see Chapter 9: Realising the potential of the grid and markets). These will provide valuable information on supply and demand, and guide integrated water management. Action 5.2 – Better urban water planning to address key challenges Urban water corporations will develop urban water strategies that include: climate and population projections that are comparable across water corporations drought preparedness planning looking at all drinking and non-drinking water sources and the appropriate use of each source to protect human health. Continued role for water efficiency The community and industry have an essential role in urban water and our culture of water efficiency. This was demonstrated during the Millennium Drought. The contribution made by communities and businesses in reducing water use during this time has been widely attributed as the reason Melbourne did not run out of water. This included the Target 155 program, a voluntary water efficiency program to encourage Melbourne households to limit their water use to 155 litres per person per day. As part of the next stage of water efficiency initiatives, the government and the water sector will develop materials to help communities better understand the urban water cycle, the importance of water in the urban environment, and challenges we face. Action 5.3 – Reinvigorate water efficiency programs for Melbourne and regional Victoria We will help communities better understand urban water challenges and what they can do to achieve results by: rolling out the next generation of the Target 155 program for Melbourne, and developing the ‘Target Your Water Use’ program for regional Victoria, to help people understand the importance of water and manage their water use making sure water corporations continue to work actively with industries that use a lot of water to find ways to improve water efficiency building on the Schools Water Efficiency Program by increasing the number of schools in the program and expanding it to other areas, such as government buildings promoting the water corporations’ ‘Choose Tap’ campaign (or similar), which provides readily available drinking water that supports public health and reduces waste.
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