Water management has become part the lives of all Australians and we all have a key role to play in managing this precious resource. This important role has been acknowledged by the Australian Government with the establishment of the Community Water Grants programme. This $400 million programme provides grants to local community groups to save water and promote wise water use. Community Water Grants have helped communities around Australia save more than 27,000 mega litres of water, about the amount of water 100,000 average households would use in one year.
To recognise the work done by Local Governments, the Community Water Grants programme proudly sponsors the National Awards for Local Government Community Water Grants Water Saving Award. The 2007 winner is Randwick City Council with its project Sustaining Our City – Retrofitting Randwick for Water Savings.
Randwick City Council has been a pioneer in establishing a whole of community approach to protecting and improving their local environment. Its award winning programme has saved more than 100 million litres of town water annually through stormwater and wastewater recycling and reuse projects.
This saving was only one part of Randwick’s broad sustainability programme tackling a range of issues including climate change, conserving resources, and protecting the environment.
Council has increased environmental awareness by running a range of the community education and engagement programmes which foster the involvement of the community in environment protection and sustainable living. This includes open days with free demonstrations and information on how residents can improve their own water savings; an annual Ecoliving Fair; and free sustainable living workshops providing the community with practical advice and discounts for water saving changes.
The groundbreaking work of the Randwick City Council is now being used by other Councils as a model for sustainability practice in their communities. As demonstrated in Randwick, Community Water Grants are an important tool for organisations to make a lasting contribution to their local community and the environment.
Round 4 of Community Water Grants will be launched in the first half of 2008 and will seek innovative projects that not only save water, but also benefit the local community.
For more information about Community Water Grants, or to read about the Local Government projects that have been funded, visit www.australia.gov.au/communitywatergrants or phone 1800 780 730.
