The Shire of Kalamunda in Western Australia has achieved Milestone 5 in the International Council for Local Environment Initiatives (ICLEI) Local Governments for Sustainability Water Campaign™.
Completion of Milestone 5 means that the Shire has successfully completed a review of its corporate and community water management practices and has tracked its progress towards the goals set at Milestone 2.
Shire President, Councillor Donald McKechnie said, “The Shire has significantly reduced its demand on precious water supplies, which is a culmination of many years of hard effort. This work commenced with the aim of improving water quality and reducing consumption.
“Highlights of the Shire’s corporate water conservation actions include: the Fleming Reserve Hydrozoning project, saving 19,400kL per year; auditing of the Kostera Oval irrigation system and actions taken to improve efficiency, saving 7972kL per year; installation of water efficient appliances at Norm Sadler Pavilion, saving 1387kL per year; Installation of dual flush toilet cisterns throughout the administration office, saving 356.4 kL per year; and installation of waterless urinals at six Shire facilities, saving 181.7 kL per year,” he said.
“Meters, costing around $2000 each, have also been installed on all 42 of the Shire’s lowland bores — a part of the aquifers shared with the rest of Perth — enhancing the Shire’s ability to track and monitor water use. Use of the water meters makes the amount of water required more accurate and so increases efficiency.”
Through participation in the Water Campaign™, the Shire has analysed trends in its corporate and community water consumption since the base year 2002/2003, and has reviewed its water quality in priority areas.
Councillor McKechnie said, “The completion of Milestone 5 gives the Shire a clear picture of its progress toward sustainable water management in its corporate operations and of its community.”
“The Shire’s completion of all five milestones also includes a commitment to ongoing support for the initiatives of the Water Campaign™.”
The Shire is one of 42 Western Australian local governments who have joined the Water Campaign™ and are actively conserving water and improving the quality of rivers, streams and groundwater within their communities.
