Published: 10 Oct 2008

Woollahra Council’s planned water saving technologies project at Holdsworth Community Centre has been awarded funding of $79,427 from the NSW Public Facilities Program.

The Holdsworth Community Centre and garden will become a showcase for water efficiency with the installation of rainwater tanks, water saving fixtures and dual flush toilets. The Centre will be fitted with interpretation materials explaining the water conservation measures in place and host a series of workshops and community events promoting waterwise practices around the home. The project will save 700,000 litres of water a year.

The Centre will be used as an environmental education resource with the aim that residents will be encouraged to adopt water saving practices in their own homes by seeing them in action at the Holdsworth Community Centre and garden.

At the water saving workshops Council aims to educate residents on water saving practices and will ask residents to take a Water Saving Pledge where residents will agree to do at least 3 of the following:

• Install a water-saving shower head - AAA showerheads;
• Install aerators on taps;
• Fix residential tap and water leak programs;
• Install dual-flush toilets;
• Make use of grey-water recycling systems;
• Purchase four star or better water-efficient washing machines;
• Install rainwater tanks of minimum sizes

These water saving workshops are due to start mid 2009 once the installation of the rainwater tanks and water saving fixtures have occurred.

Council applied for the grant funding in February 2008 under the NSW Climate Change Fund (Public Facilities Program) in order to compliment Councils existing water saving action plan. Council has made some good water savings in the last few years however Woollahra residents are still noted as high water users in Sydney.

Woollahra Council aims to lead by example and demonstrate to residents that we are serious about decreasing our area’s water usage.

Council has continued to steadily decrease our water usage annually, resulting in Council now using only a third of the water we used in 2002.

Council aims to retro-fit water saving technologies into all council facilities in order to then use these facilities as demonstration models for public education on water saving technologies.

The Holdsworth Community Centre project will reduce Council’s potable water use, help to reduce residents potable water use, and increase the number of water rebates issued to Woollahra Residents.

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