Making every drop count
IT’S easy to undervalue something when it’s always there – but do you know how many times a day you use your taps?
The average Aussie turns on their tap nine times a day, and Tasmanians use around 200 million litres of water per day, that’s about 80 Olympicsize swimming pools!
As part of National Water Week, TasWater’s climate change strategy lead Luc Richard is encouraging everyone to consider how many times a day they reach for their tap.
“Cutting back on usage not only saves water, but also
energy, money and the environment,” Mr Richard said.
By turning your tap off a little sooner than you normally would, you can help to save thousands of litres of water each year,” he said.
This National Water Week, the theme is “Caring for Water and Country”.
It recognises the importance water plays in our lives by deepening our understanding of Australian First Nations people’s knowledge of protecting and sustaining our water and lands for over 65,000 years.
“How we value and
understand water today affects how much we have for tomorrow,” Mr Richard said.
“It’s the behaviours we adopt now, and all year round, that help to keep water in our dams in periods of low rainfall,” he said.
Some 63 per cent of Australians agree they could save more water than they do. Can you?
Getting out of the shower a minute earlier can help to save millions of litres of water each year, and if you keep a bucket in the shower to capture water, you can use it to water your garden.
“One drop of water per
second dripping from a shower or tap can add up to 7000 litres of wasted water each year,” he said.
By fixing leaking taps and toilets, always using a full load with dishwashers and washing machines and turning taps off when you wash your hands and teeth, we can save unnecessary water use.
“We encourage the community to consider the question, is your home water efficient? And if not, how can it be?” he said.
TasWater has a range of online water saving resources available, including water efficiency home audit checklists and waterwise plant lists.
“The water saving resources on our website are available for everyone and we’d love to see Tasmanians using this free information.
“You can also sign up for the Water Night Challenge with your household and take a tour of our interactive water loving home to see how easy it is to save water.”
By highlighting different ways to conserve this precious resource, we can value water properly and safeguard it effectively for everyone.