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Facts About Australian Water Consumption

Here are some interesting facts about water consumption in Australia from the City Futures Research Centre.

General attitudes to conservation

• Recycling as a method of reducing household environmental impacts is universally supported and practiced by respondents, with 90% saying that they recycle rubbish all or most of the time. 
• Respondents in the survey overwhelmingly endorsed the issue of conservation as one that is very important (82%) and a further 14% saying it is important.
• Respondents did not perceive key public and private stakeholders as having a strong interest in conservation.  The perception is that government at all levels issues that the utility companies themselves, and few consider that the private sector takes a serious interest in conservation.

Watering Lawns and Gardens

• While findings confirmed that Sydney households have taken action to reduce water use across a broad range of activities.  However, this action is variable and despite the emphasis on restrictions on garden watering, only 37% of those with a garden said that they had actually reduced watering.
• A quarter of respondents with gardens admit to watering their garden more than three times a week, including a small hard core who say they water daily, clearly in breach of prevailing water restrictions. 
• The majority of respondents who have gardens say they had not changed their watering practices in a year before the survey.
• Just under a half (47%) if all respondents with a lawn say they had not reduced garden watering in the previous year.

General attitudes to water usage

• Only a quarter thought they could do a lot more or some more.  These results suggest that further domestic water savings may be limited with prevailing attitudes and patterns of behaviour.
• Attitudes to future water savins suggest that further substantial water savings will only be generated by changing water use inside the home, especially in the way households use their kitchen, bathroom and washing appliances, as well as it attitudes to recycling.
• Few recognised that toilet flushing is a major use of water.
• The great majority were under no illusions about the need for longer term controls on water use in the future.
• Perceived ways of further reducing water consumption focused on collecting rainwater for their own household's use, recycling of grey water and installing dual flush cisterns.  They rarely included behavioural changes like having less frequent showers or flushing the toilet less often as these initiatives would have a negative impact on their lifestyle.

From: Water Consumption & the Built Environment: A Social and Behavioural Analysis

Research from City Futures Research Centre - UNSW/UWS Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute
For the full report go to: http://www.fbe.unsw.edu.au/cityfutures/publications/researchpapers.asp

 

Other Facts about Water

• Sydney water catchments have a sustainable yield of 600gl per year. Our current consumption rate is 630gl per year. Our population is growing rapidly and there are no plans for any further dam infrastructure.
• Domestic dwellings account for 69% of demand in the Sydney catchment.