WATER PRICING CHANGES A STEP TOWARD SUSTAINABILITY
Friday, 17 June 2005 10:00
Conservationists have welcomed today's announcement of a system of 'step pricing' for residential Sydney Water customers to target water wasters and encourage water conservation as a crucial step toward sustainable water management in Sydney.
Total Environment Centre (TEC) Director Mr Jeff Angel said, "The new pricing arrangements are essential to reducing water wastage and sending strong conservation signals to consumers. Without these reforms there will be little chance of achieving long term sustainable water cycle management in Sydney".
Under the new rules customers will be charged $1.13 per kilolitre for the first 400 kilolitres every year. After the first 400 kilolitres a year, residential customers will pay $1.44 per kilolitre. These rates will increase over time to $1.33 per kilolitre for the first 400 kilolitres and $2 for each additional kilolitre by 2008-09.
"These changes will provide strong incentives for customers to install rainwater tanks, water efficient showerheads and choose water efficient household appliances. Existing pricing structures provide very little incentive to save water and are clearly inadequate for a city facing major long term challenges to its water supply and demand balance", Mr Angel said.
TEC has told the Government, however, that the price changes must be part of broader strategy including large scale recycling of treated sewerage effluent.
"Sydney is wasting millions of litres of water each day by discharging sewage effluent into the ocean. This water could be treated and reused for a wide range of applications to take pressure of our scarce drinking water supplies. Price reform must be supported by a major investment in effluent reuse and other water conservation initiatives", Mr Angel said.
For further information
Contact
:
Jeff Angel - Director
Phone
:
61 2 9299 5599
Email
:
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WWW
:
http://www.tec.org.au/
