General News
17 September, 2021
A simple to use household water usage calculator
AS WE move from the tail-end of winter into spring, the temperature in the north starts to lift. Along with the rise in temperature we will also experience an increase in average monthly rainfall.
This increased rainfall will add welcome reserves to Copperlode Dam, hopefully staving off the annual water restrictions we experience here in Cairns.
Cairns is facing a pending water crisis with forecasts predicting a catastrophic drinking water shortfall within the next five years.
The impact upon the Cairns regional economy will be devastating. Cairns Water Security Stage 1 project is the strategy Cairns Regional Council has released to shore up our water supply for future generations.
The $215 million project involves the construction of infrastructure required to draw water from a strategic reserve in the Mulgrave River along with connecting this supply to existing mains in addition to the construction of a treatment plant and reservoirs required.
Water consumption has dropped in the past 15 years with Council reporting 42 per cent reduction in water usage per capita. This reduction is assisting however the much-needed infrastructure remains Council’s number 1 priority.
Residents can do more to assist Council in their endeavours to conserve water and ensure an on-going reliable supply of water.
Households and end users can take important steps to understand their current household water consumption levels and then take appropriate steps to manage and reduce if necessary, their water consumption.
There are many on-line water audit forms available that will assist users to understand how much water their household consumes each day.
These self-audit forms are easy to use and serve as a valuable tool. The Lower Murray Water Authority in Victoria has developed a comprehensive and very easy to use on-line calculator.
The calculator can be used as a guide to your daily water consumption and assist your household to conserve water, particularly as the temperature increases and the region could be facing their annual water restriction regime.
The Water Calculator can be found at www.lmw.vic.gov.au/home-water-calculator/
