Winter sprinkler ban
Who is affected
A winter sprinkler will come into effect from Wednesday July 1 2009 to August 31 2009. This ban will affect Perth, Mandurah and the whole of southern Western Australia. The ban will apply to integrated scheme water and garden bore users and selected licensees.
Why there is a trial ban
The ban is a common sense initiative. We live in a drying climate and currently consumption levels of water are too high. Unfortunately inflows for the 2009 winter are as poor as those experienced in 2006.
Irrigation experts have consistently said that in many parts of southern Western Australia gardens do not need watering during winter. This trial will identify if and how permanent bans should be applied in winter.
This is a considered approach to water usage by-law and regulation policy development designed to encourage behavioural change in this area.
Other Water Initiatives By The State Government
In addition to this Winter Sprinkler Ban the Barnett Government is implementing a number of other initiatives including:
- The commissioning of a Southern Seawater Desalination Plant in 2011.
- The allocation of $1.1b to the Water Corporation to spend in 2009-10 on asset investment across the State.
- Continued construction of the Alkimos Waste Water Treatment Plant.
- A $219m project to upgrade sludge treatment facilities at the wastewater treatment plant in the northern suburb of Beenyup.
- A commitment to spend $54.6m in 2009-10 on similar critical sludge treatment upgrade works at Woodman Point Wastewater Treatment Plant.
- Increasing efforts to achieve 80 per cent coverage of the State’s water source protection areas by providing an additional 15 water source protection plans.
- Continuation of the department’s program of installing, replacing and upgrading groundwater monitoring bores and river gauging stations throughout the State.