Long-term water security; step 1, smarter consumption
So a while ago we had a great question from a reader, as to whether any study/research/proposal had been done for water tanks on urban buildings. We reached out to a number of contacts to answer this, but an interesting article in The Conversation this week motivated us to get on with it and answer the question.
In the article ( https://theconversation.com/boys-and-their-toys-how-overt-masculinity-dominates-australias-relationship-with-water-158772 ), the author Anna Kosovac argues that “An over-reliance on technology and infrastructure papers over the need to understand the behaviours that lead to water problems. We must seek new, sustainable approaches that recognise the role of water in our social, political and cultural lives.” Hear hear we say!
But first, let’s have a little history. In June 2019, SDRC applied to the Queensland government to opt into MP 4.2 and MP 4.3 of the Queensland Development Code to allow SDRC to make the installation of rainwater tanks at new residential, industrial and commercial buildings mandatory. This requires the Minister’s consent, which has been given to Toowoomba Regional Council and the Gold Coast City Council.
In October 2020 the Queensland government responded to SDRC that it was considered that tank water would be more expensive than all other options except the continued trucking of water. SDRC in February 2021 resolved to respond to the objections raised and the matter is ongoing. Let’s hope that SDRC are successful in getting the Minister’s consent, because here at POW! we think the implementation of urban water tanks is a great first step to more sustainable water use.
When this question was originally posed, we reached out to some local folk who have been looking at the issue of how to make the consumption of water in the Granite Belt more sustainable. Their initial research indicates that Stanthorpe could potentially save up to 50% of its annual water consumption from Storm King Dam if there were rainwater tanks on all buildings in Stanthorpe. This estimate is based on smaller 10,000L tanks for residential buildings, and tanks with larger volumes for those commercial, industrial and service buildings with larger land areas. Importantly it’s also based on a conservative estimate (65%) of Stanthorpe’s mean annual rainfall.
Rainwater tanks, perhaps even combined with some sensible permanent water restrictions such as those in Victoria (https://www.water.vic.gov.au/liveable/using-water-wisely/advice-and-rules/permanent-water-saving-rules ), would encourage residents to better manage their water consumption. Despite lower than average annual rainfall, “Australians are the greatest per capita consumers of water, using an average of 100,000L of freshwater per person each year” ( https://www.yourhome.gov.au/water ). Water tanks also encourage waterwise gardening: choosing the right plants for local rainfall, improving soil moisture retention and using water-efficient garden products. That’s a big positive, given that “around 40% of household water is typically used outdoors, and in some locations in Australia the proportion is much higher” ( https://www.yourhome.gov.au/water ).
So rainwater tanks on all urban buildings would reduce the demand on the reticulated water from Storm King Dam dramatically, perhaps even up to 50%. More importantly, it would encourage greater engagement from residents in our own personal water consumption. Perhaps we could learn to live more within our water means. And all that would mean smarter water consumption.