Business and Industry
Industry and commerce use almost one-third of Melbourne's drinking water supplies with the top 200 water users accounting for about 10 per cent.
The Government's retail water corporations City West Water, South East Water and Yarra Valley Water, have implemented Pathways to Sustainability, a voluntary program encouraging Melbourne's top 200 water users to prepare water management plans which identify ways they can conserve water.
Many regional urban water authorities have also been working with local industry to achieve improved water management. For example Goulburn Valley Water has been working with Campbells to achieve an 18 per cent reduction in the amount of water used per year and a 27 per cent reduction in the amount of effluent discharged.
Water management action plans (waterMAP)
The business program has now been expanded to focus on all non-residential customers across Victoria who consumes more than 10ML per annum of potable (drinking) water at any one site from an urban supply. These customers are required to prepare a water management action plan (waterMAP) under a new permanent water saving rule.
A waterMAP requires eligible non-residential water customers to:
- • Assess their current usage
• Identify inefficiencies and opportunities for water savings
• Prepare an action plan to implement water conservation activities
• Annually report on the implementation of water conservation activities
waterMAP brochure (PDF - 1.0 Mb) waterMAP handbook (PDF - 858 Kb)For existing customers the key dates for meeting the waterMAP requirement are:
- • 28 September 2007 - register with your local water corporation; and
• 31 December 2007 - lodge a waterMAP with your local water corporation.
Further information regarding the waterMAP program is available from your local water corporation.