The Big Water Wastage Continues, As Usual
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The recent heavy rains may have removed the immediate water shortage in the Sydney water storage dams, but even at the height of our shortages and restrictions, the big business users continued wasting water in their usual manner.
Sydneysiders began to cut their water use five years ago because of the drought, but industrial water use and wastage has only grown.
The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper used freedom of information legislation to obtain a list of the 50 heaviest commercial users of our water supplies. It shows that fourteen of these heavy hitters have actually increased their water usage.
Sydney residents cut their water use by more than 16 percent over the same period, but not the industrial users. Why? Because the restidents are obliged to cut wastage but big business is just asked to try and meet voluntary targets.
How sweet.
Up north, Brisbane City Council reported that its top 100 commercial users had cut down their water use by 22 per cent since restrictions started in 2005. In Sydney, the top 50 have only cut their water use by 6.65 per cent.
The New South Wales Government ordered the state’s 310 biggest water consumers to come up with Water Savings Action Plans some 18 months ago. These were to show how they planned to voluntarily lower their water use by 20 percent. But so far, the Department of Environment and Climate Change had still only approved 107 plans.
Sydney Water said it had signed up 370 firms, which were saving 31.5 million litres a day, however he was not able to come up with a percentage savings figure.
Residential users consume almost 70 per cent of all water in Sydney.
It is interesting that water restrictions on residential properties are compulsory, while big business is not forced to cut back.
I guess the almighty dollar wins out again, no matter what it does to our long-term situation.
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