Labor Member for Western Victoria Gayle Tierney today announced a $500,000 expansion of Wannon Water’s multi-award-winning Roof Water Harvesting Project to capture water from the roofs of a new industrial subdivision in Warrnambool’s north east, boosting the city’s drinking water supplies.
Speaking in Warrnambool, Ms Tierney said the Warrnambool Roof Water Harvesting Project was an innovative concept demonstrating that the roofs of new urban growth areas could generate enough water to meet the water demand needs in those new areas.
The Project will capture rain water from roofs of buildings to be constructed in the new Horne Road industrial estate and transport it through pipes to Wannon Water’s Dales Road water storages. From there it will be treated and enter the drinking water supply.
The expansion will complement the demonstration site in Warrnambool’s north east residential growth corridor, which has been operating successfully since 2011 – eventually connecting an estimated 3,000 homes, contributing a total of 450 million litres of water to
the city’s supplies and saving 585 tonnes of carbon emissions annually.
Quotes attributable to Gayle Tierney, Member for West Victoria
“The Andrews Labor Government supports innovative ways to save water and secure water supplies for urban areas and collecting rain water from household roofs is a great example of that.”
“This project is consistent with the Victorian Government’s approach to identifying
the best source of water for its best use to meet the challenges of climate change, changing rainfall patterns and population growth.”
“Roof Water Harvesting sets a benchmark in urban water management and this expansion will further boost Warrnambool’s water supplies and make its supply system more resilient to climate change.”
“It uses a source of water that would otherwise be lost in run-off, it reduces energy use and carbon emissions, and it significantly reduces stormwater runoff, allowing for costly stormwater infrastructure to be scaled down.”
Quotes attributable to Wannon Water Managing Director Grant Green
“The expansion of the project to include the first stage of the Horne Road industrial subdivision will harvest water from the roofs of 21 large industrial lots.
“Roof Water Harvesting is a sustainable and cost-effective water supply augmentation option and in an average rainfall year this industrial subdivision expansion will contribute a further 25 million litres of water to boost Warrnambool’s drinking water supplies,”
Key facts:
- The Roof Water
Harvesting expansion is expected to be constructed over the 2015/16 summer. - The industrial
subdivision is being developed by NDB Properties. - The 25 million
litres of water to be harvested annually would meet the demand from 180 residential houses.
- A Roof Water Harvesting tool kit has also been developed to assist
other growth regions in Australia identify how they can use the same approach.
Further details about the Roof Water Harvest Project are available at www.wannonwater.com.au