Drip and Drop deployed as water saving measures needed despite local rain

WET weather last weekend saw Barwon Heads break a rainfall record for the second month in a row, but Barwon Water says local water storages are only just starting to recover from an exceptionally hot and dry start to the year.

The Barwon Heads Golf Club gauge recorded 18ml of rain across Saturday and Sunday (June 29-30), taking the June total to 116ml, 14ml more than the previous record of 102ml that fell during the month in 2012.

May’s 119ml was also a record for that month, eclipsing the 106ml that was also recorded in 2012.

The club has kept records for the Bureau of Meteorology since 2002.

While the falls have filled local wetlands, paddocks and road verges, the same can’t be said for local water storages, which hover at 38.1 per cent, about 12 percentage points lower than this time last year, and the lowest they have been at this time of year since 2016.

Consequently, Barwon Water has launched a campaign with tips for curbing water use appearing on local buses from this weekend.

The messages, reminding people to keep their showers to four minutes and to fit their garden hose with a trigger nozzle, will also appear in local cinemas, featuring Barwon Water’s mascots “Drip” and “Drop”.

Barwon Water managing director Tracey Slatter said that while rainfall in May and June made a positive impact, prolonged dry conditions meant that using water responsibly was still as crucial as ever.

“It’s easy to forget to use water wisely during winter – especially when warming up under a hot shower – but conserving and preserving our precious resource is just as important in the cooler months as it is over summer.

“Our campaign shares water saving tips and reminds people about our simple and commonsense permanent water saving rules that apply all year round.”

Barwon Water’s winter water saving tips include limiting a shower to four minutes and checking for leaks and drips as a dripping tap can waste more than 12,000 litres of water over a year.

Barwon Water is also reminding people to follow the permanent water saving rules that apply to water use every day of the year. They apply to residents and businesses, are enforceable by law and include:

• hand-held hoses must be fitted with a trigger nozzle and be leak free
• watering systems or sprinklers can be used after 6pm or before 10am on any day
• fountains and water features must recirculate water
• use a broom to clean paved areas and hard surfaces instead of water.

For more, head to barwonwater.vic.gov.au/pwsr.