The Gold Coast Waterfuture Strategy
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Original Strategy components | Revised Strategy components | Current status
The Gold Coast Waterfuture (GCWF) Strategy provides a blueprint for managing the city’s water supply in a sustainable way over the next 50 years.
Adopted by Council in December 2005, the strategy sets a new benchmark in innovative water planning. It is one of the first long-term water supply strategies to be developed in Australia, underpinned by diversity, adaptability and sustainability.
Traditional water supply strategies have relied heavily on sourcing water from dams. However, changing climate and rainfall patterns have made these sources less reliable. Continued population growth also means demand for water is likely to grow from 185 million litres (ML) per day in 2005 to about 466 million litres (ML) per day by 2056.
The strategy has:
- Removed the city’s almost exclusive reliance upon surface water storages which are climate dependant;
- Taken an integrated approach to managing water across the entire water cycle; and
- Provided water solutions that are fit for purpose, rather than using potable water for all uses within the home.
The strategy now includes a diverse range of water supply initiatives such as the use of rainwater tanks, recycling of water back to the home for garden use and toilet flushing, reducing the pressure of the water supply network to reduce water usage, augmenting existing surface water storages and desalination.
The strategy will deliver benefits such as significant reductions in potable water consumption, nutrient run off to adjacent waterways and per capita reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
Many new initiatives identified in the strategy are already being rolled out on a local and regional level. These include a pressure and leakage management program, water conservation programs and desalination. Other initiatives, such as increasing the use of recycled water around the city, continue to create interest both nationally and internally with flagship projects such as the fully integrated urban water managed community of Pimpama Coomera.