Page 3160 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 17 October 2006
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consumption. An analysis of the water savings delivered through COMTROL, the government’s centralised irrigation system for sports ovals, revealed that on average a water saving of 40 per cent has been achieved since its installation in 1991. A project is being developed to increase the number of irrigated sports ovals and urban parkland sites irrigated within the COMTROL network. This project is expected to cost-effectively deliver significant further water savings while adequately maintaining the ACT’s irrigated public assets. The project scope also includes the conversion of school irrigation systems to the more efficient control system.
In our own government businesses we are taking steps to conserve water. As a result of the installation of its new linen processing equipment, Capital Linen Service made massive water savings at its laundry in Mitchell. The $2.39 million investment to upgrade Capital Linen Service’s infrastructure was a practical demonstration by the ACT government of its commitment to sustainability by reducing water and energy usage. The new equipment will provide savings in water usage equivalent to 10 Olympic swimming pools, savings in energy and reduced manual handling by staff. Capital Linen Service recently received a 2005-06 Australian Service Excellence Award and was a finalist in the 2006 ACT Training Excellence Awards. I have had quite a bit to do with Capital Linen Service over the years and I would like to congratulate them again on their employment conditions as well as on this service excellence award.
The government has also funded a water recycling project at the Yarralumla Nursery, another longstanding successful government business. This water recycling project will significantly reduce consumption of water from Lake Burley Griffin and, ultimately, the Murray-Darling Basin. The new water recycling system collects run-off from existing drains and redirects the water into two existing holding and settling ponds from which water is then pumped through the irrigation system. The water recycling system will benefit the nursery, reducing costs as well as reducing the run-off into the river system.
“Think water, act water” requires review and evaluation. A progress report for 2004-05 on “Think water, act water” was released earlier this year and is available on the “Think water, act water” website. Work is now being done to gather and analyse usage data at the household and end use level so as to improve and better direct our water efficiency programs. As part of increasing water efficiency, a scheme of permanent water conservation measures was developed and introduced. These measures, which began in April this year, have been successful in saving water.
The temporary water restrictions scheme has also been revised. The scheme applies according to a number of criteria, principally water storage levels and future rainfall prognosis. For much of 2006, like in most other parts of Australia, it has not rained. Therefore, stage 2 of the temporary water restrictions scheme will commence on 1 November. A community promotion and awareness campaign will be undertaken by ACTEW. Other efficiency measures include participation in the national water efficiency labelling scheme, WELS. Legislation underpinning the scheme was passed by the Assembly in early 2005. The ACT has also drafted water sensitive urban design guidelines to be incorporated into urban, commercial and industrial development. These have already been released in draft form for community comment.
The ACT’s water strategy and measures are innovative and have taken into account best practice measures and what is happening across other parts of Australia, where
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