Managing Our Precious Resource

Water is easily taken for granted. Turn on a tap and there it is. But the process of bringing the water to the tap in a safe and drinkable form is a lengthy and costly one. In Cairns, the function of providing water supply and wastewater services rest with Water & Waste.

Why the need for Demand Management?

Water & Waste's costs are rapidly escalating for the following reasons:
Cairns' population is rapidly increasing therefore demand is putting pressure on current water sources. Ageing assets need to be replaced with increasing urgency.

Enviromental demands require both additional work and higher planning and construction standards. Consumers expect a consistently high standard of service, even in areas where water supply is difficult and expensive.

Compounding the problem of increasing costs is the prevailing consumer attitude to water charges and usage. Traditionally, water supply has been seen as a community service obligation, funded in most cases only partially, through rates. Generally, the pricing system has not been related to volume used. This has encouraged unlimited use of a scarce resource that is costly to provide.

To respond to these challenges, Water & Waste has implemented and must continue to implement demand management strategies which focus on pricing water in accordance with its true cost of supply. Its current pricing system has resulted in a decrease in consumption. Consumers tend to use water up to the point where they feel their addtional benefit is not worth the additional cost.

What is Demand Management?

Managing water, our precious resource, requires more than a pricing mechanism. A range of policies and procedures designed to improve the cost efficiency of supplying water is required. These activities include direct regulation and community education, reduction of wastage and limiting growth in water demand.

Water & Waste is also committed to maximising its operational efficiency and fostering development and implemenation of more efficient water-using appliances.

our Demand Management Strategy

The Demand Management Strategy provides a summary of the key demand reduction and system management activities that Water & Waste intends to undertake in the next three years to assist in reducing water demand and improving water use efficiency across Cairns.

These activities have been identified as providing the best potential returns in water savings and will be supplemented by additional activities over time.

For more details on the current project click here to go to "Our Water & Waste" web site.

Mandatory Water Saving Targets for New Homes

Mandatory Water Saving targets for all new homes come into effect in the former Cairns City Council area from July 1 2008 and in the former Douglas Shire area from July 1 2009. The minimum requirements are set out in the Queensland Development Code (QDC) part MP 4.2. Households in the Cairns Regional Council are required to achieve water savings of 44,000 litres per annum for new detached houses and 26,000 litres for other new Class 1 dwellings.

click above to download Flyer

To achieve the targets water must be sourced by means other than the use of the reticulated town water supply.

The QDC specifies a number of acceptable solutions to meet the targets –

• Household rainwater tanks
• Communal rainwater tanks
• Greywater treatment plants
• Dual reticulation
• Stormwater reuse or
• A combination of the above

Compliance with water saving targets is assessed during the building approval process.

Household rainwater tanks installed to meet the requirements of the QDC part MP 4.2 must be approved by a building certifier during the building approval process.

Compliance measures such as dual reticulation, communal rainwater tanks or stormwater reuse may be put in place during the relevant stage of the development process. This may occur at the material change of use or the reconfiguration of lot(s) stages.

A full copy of the QDC part MP 4.2 is available on the Department of Infrastructure and Planning’s website – www.dip.qld.gov.au.

Alternative Water Sources - Commercial Buildings

All new commercial and industrial buildings will be required to use alternative water sources and this will come into effect in the former Cairns City Council area from July 1 2008 and in the former Douglas Shire area from July 1 2009.

The minimum requirements are set out in the Queensland Development Code (QDC) part MP 4.3.

Alternative water sources can be –

• Rainwater Tanks
• Water storage tanks
• Greywater treatment plants or
• A combination of the above

Compliance with alternative water sources for commercial buildings is assessed during the building approval process. The building certifier may assess the building a compliant if an alternative water source is used to supply water to the minimum mandatory connections.

A full copy of the QDC part MP 4.3 is available on the Department of Infrastructure and Planning’s website – www.dip.qld.gov.au.

The following documents provide guidelines and regulatory requirements for Mandatory Water Savings Targets for new homes, part MP 4.2 of the QDC and Alternative Water Sources – Commercial Buildings part MP 4.3 of the QDC.

• Water saving targets
  Queensland Development Code (QDC) Part MP 4.2
• Water saving targets
  For councils, plumbers, builders and developers
  A guide to the Queensland Development Code part MP 4.2
• Alternative water sources - Commercial buildings
  For councils, plumbers, builders and developers
  A guideline to understanding the Queensland Development Code part MP 4.3
• Alternative water sources - commercial buildings
  Queensland Development Code (QDC) part MP 4.3
• Guidance on Use of Rainwater Tanks

Contact Building Services Authority - 1300 BSA BSA - www.bsa.qld.gov.au (click here), for the following document:

Domestic Rainwater Harvesting in Queensland, a homeowners Guide to Positioning, Installation, Connection and Maintenance of Domestic Rainwater Tanks and their associated Roof Water Collection Systems, Building Services Authority.

For more information contact CRC Building Services 4044 3583