As one of the largest water users in the ACT, we recognise the importance of effective water management and conservation to maintain our landscape and world-class facilities. We are committed to fostering a campus environment that aligns with our sustainability commitments and responsible water management. While our existing management practices focus on reducing water use per person, we continue to expand our efforts to minimise potable water consumption in landscape irrigation and residential halls. Through these initiatives we aim to enhance our sustainability efforts and protect our water resources.
Water
Image: Jamie Kidston/ANU
Our approach
As part of our Environmental Management plan, our primary objective is to reduce per capita potable water use and increase the proportion of non-potable water* used in irrigation/toilet flushing. See our targets below to achieve this goal.
Our targets
- Reduce per capita potable water consumption*
- Increase non-potable water usage for landscape irrigation to 11%*
- Reduce the percentage of potable water in our total water usage*
- Perform a feasibility study on surface water intake from Sullivans Creek
(*Baseline and quantitative targets to be validated based on metering.)
Our progress
Potable and non-potable water usage
- Potable water consumption reduced slightly from 28.3kL per person in 2019 to 27.9kL per person in 2023.
- The team has successfully extended the non-potable water supply to the irrigation system surrounding the Physics building.
- Our Landscape and Conservation Team is also working to improve soil structure to enhance oil permeability and moisture retention, and to reduce irrigation needs and run-off or erosion. They’re treating with organic soil conditioner to boost beneficial microorganisms, and introducing drought-tolerant and pest-resistant plant species along with low-water grass varieties to furter reduce irrigation requirements.
- Irrigation schedules have been adjusted for shorter, less frequent watering, with some areas eliminating irrigation requirements entirely.
Rainwater harvesting
In mid-2024, an initial review of rainwater systems across our Acton campus identified a storage capacity of approximately 1.7 million litres.
Sullivans Creek surface water intake
The feasibility study on using Sullivans Creek surface water to reduce potable water use is in progress. Opportunities for use of the water for irrigation purposes on South Oval are being explored.
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