Complimentary
Watersaver Materials
Encourage your staff and visitors to be water conscious at your place of business.
To place your order for your FREE supply of stickers and tent cards simply email watersaver@ goldcoastwater.com.au.
February 2009
- Update on Water Restrictions
- Coomera Chamber of Commerce tour the Pimpama Recycled Water Treatment Plant
- Nursery & Garden Industry Australia’s Wise About Water campaign
- Update on Smart Approved Watermark products and services
- 2009 EPA Sustainable Industries Award! Call for Submissions
- Sustainable Gardening Workshops
- GreenPlumbers Industry water saving workshops
- Complimentary Watersaver Materials
- Subscribe/unsubscribe
Residential water restrictions suspended
As of 7 January 2009 the Queensland Water Commission (QWC) temporarily suspended residential water restrictions on the Gold Coast. With the suspension of water restrictions, Gold Coast residents are permitted to use town water at any time for:
- washing cars, trailers and boats
- general outdoor cleaning of materials and equipment
- washing external building and paved surfaces
- filling and topping up pools
- watering gardens and lawns.
Permanent water efficiency measures still apply for businesses on the Gold Coast, however watering outdoor gardens is permitted and despite restrictions being eased, Council is encouraging residents to continue being waterwise.
The Gold Coast will join the rest of the SEQ region on water restrictions when the Hinze Dam drops below 95% capacity.
For further information, contact the QWC information line on 1300 789 906 or visit www.qwc.qld.gov.au
Coomera Chamber of Commerce members exclusive tour of the Pimpama Recycled Water Treatment Plant
Members of the Coomera Chamber of Commerce kicked off their 2009 networking season at the Pimpama Recycled Water Treatment Plant (RWTP) on Thursday 5 February 2009.
Chamber members inspected the newly constructed plant and were treated to a special presentation by Pimpama Coomera Waterfuture (PCWF) Alliance Program Manager, Tom Silkstone.
The RWTP was commissioned late last year after 7600 cubic metres of concrete had been poured, 1150 tonnes of steel laid and 105 kilometres of cable installed. It took in excess of 250,000 man hours to complete and currently pumps approximately 4 million litres of Class B recycled water per day, with a capacity of 17 million litres per day as demand grows.
Guests were also treated to a sneak peak of the second component of the plant which will soon commence production of Class A+ recycled water. Dual reticulated properties in the Pimpama Coomera region will receive Class A+ recycled water in 2009 for toilet flushing, garden watering and irrigation, car washing, dust suppression and external house cleaning, via separate purple pipes.
Business operators and homeowners eligible for Class A+ recycled water can expect a significant saving on their water bill. The cost of Class A+ recycled water has been set at $1.10 a kilolitre for the 2008/09 financial year*. This is a saving of around 40 percent on the price of drinking water during the same period.
The PCWF Alliance is also in the process of establishing a Community Advocacy Group (CAG) in the Pimpama Coomera region to help disseminate information about the PCWF Master Plan. An advertising campaign will begin this month to attract local participants.
The CAG will represent a broad range of local community and stakeholder interests and help to ensure that the community understands the PCWF Master Plan, in particular the introduction of Class A+ recycled water. Interested community members are being urged to contact the PCWF Stakeholder Management Team on (07) 5596 9630.
For more information about the PCWF project visit www.goldcoastwater.com.au/pimpamacoomera
* Subject to change in the 2009/10 financial year
Nursery & Garden Industry Australia’s Wise About Water campaign
Five years ago the Nursery & Garden Industry Australia (NGIA) launched a nation-wide campaign titled Wise About Water. Developed in response to consumer research, it strives to re-engage consumers with their gardens by providing solutions at the retail level.
The program, which currently has over 90 Queensland nurseries actively participating, has two main aspects:
- The Garden Centre Toolkit which consists of point-of-sale material, retailer tips and fact sheets. This promotes a consistent message about using water in the garden and ensures that ideas and solutions can be easily identified in garden centres.
- A PR campaign which has been developed to reassure consumers about garden water use and position garden centres as the place to go for ideas, answers and advice.
Participating local garden centres are recognised as a great place to get advice on how to have a beautiful garden.
For more information on the Wise About Water campaign visit www.ngia.com.au or contact Anthony Kachenko, National Environmental & Technical Policy Manager, NGIA on (02) 9876 5200.
Smart Approved Watermark
What do a boat cleaner, a shower paddle, a urinal tablet, and garden mulch all have in common? They all save water and are among the latest products to gain the Smart Approved WaterMark.
Supported by all states and territories, the Smart Approved WaterMark is funded by the Australian Government’s Water Smart Australia program.
Following assessments by an independent technical expert panel, which includes experts from the gardening, irrigation, plumbing and water industries, 11 new products have recently been added to list of approved products taking the total number to 160+.
“The technical expert panel has been kept busy assessing these products and it is pleasing to see that we continue to have new and innovative products looking for the recognition that the Smart WaterMark offers them,” says the CEO of Smart Approved WaterMark, Mr Julian Gray.
The latest innovative products to receive the mark include ‘wetter’ mulches, ‘smart’ sprinklers and ‘responsive’ controllers. “The distinctive Smart WaterMark label is used to raise awareness of products that help save water. The diversity of new products to the scheme shows the water saving innovation which exists in Australia” reports Julian.
For more information on Smart Approved Watermark, including an updated list of approved product and services visit: www.smartwatermark.org
2009 EPA Sustainable Industries Award
Call for submissions…
The Environmental Protection Agency Sustainable Industries Awards recognises Queensland business leaders, companies and technologies that are setting best-practice benchmarks in environmental performance.
Entries are being sought from Queensland businesses, individuals, not-for-profit and community organisations, and local and state governments, with awards being issued in each of the following categories:
- Corporate Sustainability Award
- Industrial Eco-efficiency Award
- Innovation in Sustainable Technologies Award
- Minister’s Award for ClimateSmart Leadership
- Rural Sustainability Award
- Sustainability Partnerships Award
- Sustainability in the Built Environment Award
- Resource Industries Sustainability Award
Nominations for the 2009 Awards close 27 February 2009.
We encourage Gold Coast businesses to consider nominating for the 2009 awards. Winners will be announced at a gala dinner at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre on Friday 12 June 2009, where the Premier’s award for Leadership in Business Sustainability will also be presented.
For more information please visit: www.epa.qld.gov.au/siawards or contact EPA Marketing on (07) 3225 1524 or email: siawards@epa.qld.gov.au
Sustainable Gardening Workshops -
Achieve positive and sustained outcomes for the environment and your garden!
Creating a sustainable garden is a great way to maximise conditions for a thriving garden, retain soil moisture and eliminate water loss through evaporation. In a joint initiative between Gold Coast City Council’s Community Services and Gold Coast Water directorates, workshops providing knowledge and skills for developing and maintaining a sustainable garden will be held between February and June 2009 (schedule below).
Workshop attendees will learn how to reduce the production of household solid waste through composting and worm farming, as well as water saving techniques such as mulching and plant grouping which will greatly reduce the consumption of water in the garden. The workshop content is also relevant to businesses with a garden or landscaped area.
Who should attend: Anyone interested in creating a sustainable garden in their home or business premises.
Cost: Free to all participants.
Registration: Bookings are essential. To register phone (07) 3488 9660 or for more information visit www.goldcoastwater.com.au
Sustainable Garden Workshops (Composting – Worm Farming – Water Conservation)
|
Helensvale Community Centre Discovery Drive, Helensvale |
|
Carrara Community Centre Nielsens Rd, Carrara |
|
Varsity Lakes Community Centre Jim Harris Park Mattocks Road, Varsity Lakes |
|
Runaway Bay Library Lae Drive, Runaway Bay |
|
Joan Park Community Garden Joan Street Southport |
|
Jacobs Well Community Centre Bay Street, Jacobs Well |
|
Nerang Bicentennial Community Centre Nerang Southport Road, Nerang |
|
Albert Waterways Community Centre corner Hooker & Sunshine Boulevard, Mermaid Waters |
|
Pimpama School of Arts Clark Way, Pimpama |
Greenplumber Workshops
An integral part of the Watersaver Education program is Gold Coast Water’s initiative to link with industry bodies to provide training in water conservation to people who have a significant influence over water use.
The Greenplumber Training Program is jointly run on the Gold Coast by the Master Plumbers and Mechanical Services Association of Australia and Gold Coast Water, with support from other industry representatives.
The program is part of an innovative nationally accredited approach to training plumbers in the water conservation, environmental, and public health aspects of their work. The training opportunities provided by the program place plumbers in a better position to advise and inform consumers on environmental and water conservation topics.
The 2009 Greenplumbers Workshop schedule is now available, to access information on the Gold Coast sessions please click here.
The next session to be held on the Gold Coast is Tuesday 28 April 2009.
Who should attend: Anyone in the plumbing or building industry.
Cost: Free to all participants.
Registration: Bookings are essential - to register online visit www.greenplumbers.com.au - Training Registration or telephone: (07) 3252 1266.
Complimentary Watersaver materials
Encourage your staff and visitors to be water conscious at your place of business. Gold Coast Water has complimentary bathroom stickers that have been tested in a number of marinas, shopping centres and hotels on the Gold Coast, proving to be beneficial in reminding staff & visitors to be water efficient in the bathroom.
These stickers also subconsciously reinforce water conservation messages, leading to water efficient behaviour in other areas.
For maximum exposure we recommend you position a sticker above the basin area and on the cistern of each toilet. The stickers are non-marking stickers and suitable to be placed on mirrors.
To place your order simply email watersaver@goldcoastwater.com.au and include your business name, postal address and the number of stickers you require.
Subscribe / Unsubscribe
Case studies
Find out how Gold Coast businesses are reducing their water use and in turn saving money.
You have been sent a copy of this Water Biz eNewsletter as a key business on the Gold Coast. To be removed from this mailing list or update your details, please email your request to either unsubscribe or update.
If a business associate would like to subscribe to this eNewsletter, they should email their request to watersaver@goldcoastwater.com.au.
To subscribe to other Gold Coast Water eNewsletters visit our eNewsletter subscriptions webpage.
Contact us
We value your feedback for comment and enquiries.
Email: watersaver@goldcoastwater.com.au
Website: www.goldcoastwater.com.au/watersaver
Phone: Gold Coast Water Customer Contact Centre 1300 366 692
Post: Gold Coast City Council, PO Box 5042, Gold Coast MC Queensland 9729
