Being WaterWise outside

Help us conserve our water – it’s a limited and precious resource! Being WaterWise means thinking and acting conservatively with water. Here are a few handy hints for conserving this precious resource in outdoor water use, for gardening, pools and general cleaning.

WaterWise gardening

• Consider the water needs of each plant and group plants with similar water requirements together.
• Use the council Plant Guide to select WaterWise plants. The State government's plant selector may also help. (Opens in new window)
• When adding new plants to your garden, prepare the garden bed with good soil, water storing granules and wetting agent
• Reduce your lawn area – use attractive water-efficient landscaping
• Accept a less-than-lush lawn during periods of drought
• Use mulch on your garden to retain moisture in the soil and control weeds.
• More advice available in Green Gardening articles

Watering the garden

• Install rain water tanks
• Install water efficient irrigation systems
• Avoid watering when it is windy or too hot
• Observe the Permanent Conservation Measures regulations.

Swimming pools and waterplay pools and toys

• If you have a swimming pool or spa,
  • Install a rainwater tank or downpipe rainwater diverter
  • Use covers to keep water clean and reduce evaporation by up to 90 percent.
• Ensure that your premises complies with water efficiency guidelines (refer to the related compliance form below)
• If using town water in a water play pool or water toy, make sure that it is able to recirculate the water or uses no more than 500 litres of water.

General cleaning

• Use a broom or blower for cleaning paved areas and driveways
• An annual maintenance wash down of windows, surfeit and walls will preserve surfaces longer and reduce the need for a major clean.

Washing the car

• Regularly clean mirrors and windscreens
• Use hose fitted with a trigger or twist nozzle or a high pressure unit  for wetting up and rinsing off the vehicles
• Use a bucket for washing grills and tyres.