Water Management

A key environmental concern for the City is how we and our community conserve our water and maintain good water quality. The City’s involvement in water management relates to irrigation of reserves and water use in Council buildings and facilities, as well as management of the stormwater drainage system.

There are three main stormwater drainage catchments within the City; the Central Belmont and South Belmont Main Drains that enter the Swan River, and the Mills Street Main Drain (near Kewdale) that flows towards the Canning River. The City is continuously involved with programs to assist in water conservation and the improvement and protection of water quality within the City. The links below are examples of the key projects the City of Belmont is involved with in order to uphold these objectives.

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Water Campaign™ (ICLEI)

In August 2010 the City of Belmont was awarded completion of the ICLEI Water Campaign™ with the finalisation of Milestone 5. Milestone 5 and completion of the Water Campaign™ is the collective of the City’s water saving and water quality efforts over the past six years. The City of Belmont first joined the ICLEI Water Campaign™ in July 2004 and progressed through the milestones which included:

Through completing the Water Campaign™ the City has been able to achieve a 36% reduction in scheme water consumption for corporate activities and uses by 2009/10, with the majority of this reduction being in the area of Public Open Space. The City had set a goal of a total 45% reduction on 1999/2000 levels by 2010/11.  A re-inventory is planned for 2010/11 to assess the City’s water consumption in regards to the previous goals set and to set further water consumption goals.

Since 1999/2000 the population of the City of Belmont has grown by 26% however water consumption in the City’s Community/Residential sector has had a minor increase of 2% since an inventory undertaken in February 2005. Total Community Water Consumption has increased by 2% with the average consumption per household being reduced by 19.25%. This reflects the community’s willingness to conserve water and reassures the City and other organisations that programs promoting the conservation of water are effective.

During the Water Campaign™ the City also called on the non residential sector to make reductions in water consumption and improvements in water quality, primarily through the Belmont Business Environmental Awards. These awards were given to companies who have shown significant advances in water conservation, energy conservation, water quality protection and sustainability. Through the inventory of accounts a reduction of approximately 34% has been received in the non residential sector of the City.

These reductions mean that in total, the City of Belmont as a Local Government Area has undergone an 11.6% reduction on 1999/2000 consumption levels.

Click to enlarge Water Use Graph

The City will soon undertake an inventory for 2010/11 to reassess its water conservation and make goals for further water savings.

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 Waterwise Councils

The City of Belmont is working towards being a Waterwise Council as recognised by the Department of Water and the Water Corporation. Through the completion of the ICLEI Water Campaign™, most of the Waterwise Council criteria have been completed. However there are a few more steps which are required to become a Waterwise Council.

Currently the City is undertaking water audits of high consumption buildings which are under management by the City. Water audits are undertaken through engaging a Waterwise accredited auditor to identify leaks, efficiency upgrades and water conservation solutions.

The Department of Water and the Water Corporation invite other organisations to become Waterwise. Look for this logo and save – there are many Waterwise specialists available including:

Becoming a Waterwise organisation means you are recognised by the Department of Water and the Water Corporation as a waterwise specialist. You are then able to display the Waterwise Specialist logo on your advertising and media material. Residents looking to engage a water involved service should look for this logo as it indicates organisations who have proven they are waterwise and can give you water savings!

Further information on the City’s status as a Waterwise Council will be displayed here in the future. In the meantime look for the Waterwise logo when choosing from a variety of ‘water involved’ organisations or services. Similarly information is available from the Department of Water and Water Corporation’s websites.

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Water Quality

The City of Belmont manages an intricate stormwater drainage system with three major catchments; the Central Belmont and South Belmont Main Drains that enter the Swan River, and the Mills Street Main Drain (near Kewdale) that flows towards the Canning River. These systems are dotted with parks and reserves, industrial sites and transect by roads and other key transport corridors. This then becomes a challenge to manage as each land use contains its own potential water quality issues. With light industry come heavy metals, with parks and reserves come nutrients and with transport corridors and transport facilities come various hydrocarbons or fuels.

The City, businesses located within the City and other organisations work hard to ensure they have minimal impact on water quality. Eventually stormwater which falls over the City of Belmont ends up in the Swan or Canning Rivers and as such water quality entering these systems must be free of pollutants. The City along with the assistance of the Department of Water and the South East Regional Centre for Urban Landcare (SERCUL) undertakes regular water quality monitoring for various sites within the City and entering the Swan River. This project has identified hot spots for nutrients and heavy metals and has allowed the City to implement projects aimed at reducing these pollutants prior to entering the river or any other water body.

The City also assists local industry and business owners with its Light Industry Audits undertaken by the City’s Light Industry Environmental Officer. These audits aim at assisting local businesses to ensure that they continue applying best practises and remain within recognised standards, the Environmental Protection Act 1986 and other associated acts. Further information on the light industry audits is available under Environment – Light Industry Risk Assessment.

The Wetlands and Waterways Buffer Zone Plan is also being implemented, to create vegetated buffers around six wetlands and prevent runoff of fertilisers and lawn clippings into the waterways

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How you can help

Trends in rainfall indicate a general decline of approximately 1mm in annual rainfall per year. This decline may appear small however only a very low percentage of rainfall which falls over Perth is able to be captured in dams to be reused in the integrated supply system which feeds your home and garden. By 2030, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has predicted a reduction in annual rainfall in the south-west of WA of between 2- 20%, and catchment runoff decreases of 5- 40%. The Water Corporation have released their 50 year plan –‘Water forever: towards climate resilience’ which indicates a 120 gigalitre gap between supply and demand by 2030. Winter 2010 also marked the roll out of the full winter sprinkler ban which is expected to continue each year with possible time extensions during dry winters.

You can do your part to ensure that your home is ‘future proofed’ for climate change. This includes water savings for both scheme and groundwater by;

Ensuring you have water efficient/ saving fixtures in the home and garden Your irrigation system is efficient and preferably installed by a Waterwise irrigation specialist and includes waterwise drip systems or sprinklers Your gardens incorporate Waterwise landscape designs such as low water requirement plants and grouping like plants together Fixtures and water consuming devises in your home comply and are rated to the Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards (WELS) Scheme Irrigation systems are run only on your watering days and between the hours of 6pm and 6am outside of the winter sprinkler ban Cars, boats and caravans are washed down on your lawn and not in the driveway or street Where possible you recycle grey water through an approved grey water system which reticulates your garden.

For further information on how you can be Waterwise in your home and garden you can visit the Water Corporation or the Department of Water. Similarly, you can Google Waterwise for a host of information.

For tips on how you can save water, visit the Water Corporation website or view our How Can You Help our Water Problem? Information sheet.

Residents wishing to install a greywater reuse system must lodge an Application to Construct or Install an Apparatus for the Treatment of Sewage form with the City. For further information on requirements contact the City’s Environmental Health Officers on 9477 7222.

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What the City is doing; Current and ongoing activities

Below are a few of the projects the City is undertaking or involved with. Please contact the City's Parks and Environment Department for any further information.

For tips on how you can save water, visit the Water Corporation website or view our How Can You Help our Water Problem? fact sheet.

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