Alternative Water Supplies
Traditionally, we have used drinking water supplies for almost all household and business water uses. We are now beginning to integrate alternative water supplies for non-drinking water needs. These include toilet flushing, garden watering and water used in the laundry.
In general, these alternative water supplies can provide individual households and businesses with small reductions in scheme water usage. The impact that they may have in helping us to meet our water future will be the product of the saving of each source at a business or household level and the degree of penetration across the metropolitan area, in both new and existing buildings.
On average, rainwater tanks are estimated to save up to 50 kilolitres a year when plumbed for indoor use. Garden bores may be plumbed for internal use as part of a community bore scheme. In this instance, they may save 71 kilolitres water from the IWSS water grid in one year.
Greywater systems are used to water gardens. On average, they can supply about 60 kilolitres of water a year for this use.
For health purposes, all alternative water sources for in home use require a back up water supply. In almost all instances in the metropolitan area, this is the IWSS water grid.
The State Government is supporting the use of alternative water supplies through the introduction of a program of changes to the Building Code known as Five Star Plus. In the second stage of this program, proposed for introduction in 2008, new residential and commercial buildings will require plumbing to be installed to allow for ease of connection to an alternative water supply for non-drinking water uses like toilet flushing.
