By Cameron Weston
HOUSEHOLDS in Hobsons Bay are using more water this year despite a severe drought, stricter water restrictions and an intensive government advertising campaign.
Water consumption rose across the municipality between July and September, lead by the suburbs of Newport, Newport Lakes and Spotswood, where 12.7 per cent more water was consumed than during the same period last year, according to State Government data.
People in Williamstown and Williamstown North used 8.7 per cent more water, those in Altona North and Brooklyn an extra 7.8 per cent, while an additional 5.1 per cent was used in Altona and Seaholme, compared to last year.
Altona Meadows and Laverton performed the best, although people in those suburbs still used 1.6 per cent more water this year.
City West Water managing director Anne Barker said that overall, City West Water’s water sales had declined due to a lower demand for water, in opposition to the trend in Hobsons Bay.
“Water consumption fluctuates throughout the year and despite the increase in water use from July-September last year in some areas, City West Water’s customers are still some of the lowest water users in metropolitan Melbourne.”
Hobsons Bay City Council spokesman Matt Aquilina expressed some concern but said statistics don’t always tell the full story, especially in a diverse area like Hobsons Bay.
“There could be other reasons for the increases – industrial use may have gone up but residential use may have gone down.
“But I am a little surprised (about the increase in water consumption) given the amount of information that is out there.
“A lot of the figures can be misleading. Those increases can come down to as little as an extra 10 to 20 seconds in the shower.
“I do believe that, looking forward, these figures will come down. The tide is turning.”
Mr Aquilina said the council had implemented water saving strategies and had joined the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) in an effort to stay up to date with best practice water saving techniques.
Ms Barker said simple water saving methods including fitting a water efficient shower head, taking shorter showers, looking for water star ratings when purchasing appliances and fixing leaking taps could make a big difference in the long term.
City West Water is holding a shower head exchange on Saturday, 16 December, at City West Water, 247-251 St Albans Road, Sunshine between 9.00am – 12.00pm, where residents can exchange their water-wasting shower rose for a more efficient device.
For more water saving tips log onto www.citywestwater.com.au
