Permanent water restrictions needed for long term management of Sydney water supplies

Thursday, 12 July 2007 22:13

Total Environment Centre Urban Campaigner Mr Leigh Martin said “While the welcome recovery of Sydney’s water supplies may allow some easing of current restrictions there is an overwhelming case for introducing permanent water savings rules to prevent a return to wasteful water use practices.”

Permanent water saving rules have been introduced in Melbourne and Adelaide and include measures such as the prohibition of hosing of paved areas and requirements for trigger nozzles to be used when washing cars and watering gardens.

“Permanent water saving rules have been introduced successfully in other Australian cities. There is no reason why they could not also be a valuable water management tool in Sydney,” Mr Martin said”

TEC has warned that failure to introduce such rules would risk destroying the major progress made in saving water in recent years.

“Sydney residents have responded well to water restrictions and embraced the water conservation message. It would be senseless to abandon these gains by allowing a return to wasteful water use practices such as hosing down paths and driveways. There is simply no justification for using the hose as a broom no matter what level our storages are at”.

TEC has also told the government that it should abandon plans for an unnecessary and unsustainable desalination plant at Kurnell before lifting water restrictions.

“It is hard to understand how the Government can continue pushing full steam ahead on a desalination plant that Sydney doesn’t want or need when conserving water offers a cheaper and environmentally sustainable solution”, Mr Martin said.