Putting a plug in water waste

A BELLARINE water saving project has led the way for a statewide program that launched this month.

Barwon Water and Bellarine Bayside Foreshore Committee of Management have installed data loggers on water meters for committee-managed sites at Portarlington, St Leonards and Indented Head in the past year.

The technology has detected about 50 potential leaks, saving an estimated four million litres of water through repairs and early notification.

Barwon Water received $271,000 from the state government’s WaterSmart funding stream to help high-consumption, non-residential customers monitor their water use.

Water Minister Harriet Shing was in Portarlington last week to launch a $5.27-million program for similar projects across the state, focusing on Central and Gippsland regions.

“This free monitoring helps to identify any leaks or inefficiencies so they can be fixed quickly, saving water and delivering bill savings for businesses, other organisations such as councils, and the community,” Ms Shing said.

Bellarine MP Alison Marchant said the program was “delivering real results for local organisations”.

Benefitting organisations said the program fit their aims of minimising their environmental impact by reducing water waste.

“Water saving initiatives help meet the region’s water needs, are good for the environment and are strongly supported by our customers, which is why we’re leading the way with a variety of water saving programs to save water into the future, including through new technology,” Barwon Water chair Jo Plummer said.

“We’re proud to be at the forefront of showcasing the effectiveness of this technology. We’re committed to environmental stewardship and reducing our environmental footprint, particularly through partnerships,” Bellarine Bayside chair Melanie Rogers said.