A pilot water-saving program involving Water Corporation and the Department of Communities is to be expanded, helping public housing tenants reduce household water use and lower their water bills.
Minister for Water, Dave Kelly said the five-year expansion of the Waterwise Public Housing Project would involve around 10,000 Government-owned properties being retrofitted with water-efficient fixtures, such as showerheads, toilets and taps.
Mr Kelly said in total, the project aimed to save four billion litres of water and reduce household water bills for public housing tenants by an average $66-to-$145 each year.
He said by the time the project ended, all Department of Communities public housing properties would be fitted with water-efficient fixtures.
“To assist tenants in reducing their water use, more than 210 Department of Communities Housing Services officers have completed Waterwise training with the Water Corporation,” Mr Kelly said.
“Training equips officers with the skills and knowledge to help tenants make Waterwise changes to their daily lives, and a further 250 officers will be upskilled under the expanded project.”
The Minister said the Waterwise Public Housing Project began as a pilot in 2019.
“During the pilot program, nearly 1,000 water audits were carried out at high-water-use public housing properties, with 620 receiving leak repairs and 735 receiving water-efficient fixtures,” he said.
“Through the pilot, more than 142 million litres of precious drinking water was saved and the average household water consumption was reduced by 27 per cent,” Mr Kelly said.
