Victorian schools lead the way in water savings

Victorian Minister for Water Lisa Neville has congratulated Queenscliff Primary School, based in the state’s south, for becoming the 1100th school registered for the Schools Water Efficiency Program (SWEP) — an initiative which has helped teachers and students lead the way in water savings.

The program is a key component of the government’s Water for Victoria plan for improving water efficiency and the management of the state’s water resources. It provides Victorian schools with an internationally recognised program to help them monitor water and electricity consumption and teaches students how to identify and repair leaks and faulty appliances and reduce water waste.

Schools in the program have a data logger installed on their water meter that shows them exactly how much water is being used. This data is uploaded to an interactive website every morning, allowing students, teachers and facility managers to track water use and identify leaks that need fixing.

The dedicated website is complemented with curriculum materials and an alert service which contacts schools when there is a leak or unusual water consumption. Solar monitoring has also recently been added to the platform, allowing some schools the opportunity to monitor electricity usage.

The government has provided $7 million to SWEP since its launch in 2012. Since then, program participants have saved around 5.7 billion litres of water, or $17.3 million — enough to sustain Geelong’s water needs for about three months.

“I congratulate local kids and teachers for leading the way in saving our precious water resources and setting an example for the rest of us to follow,” Neville said.

“This program is a great opportunity to educate our young people about the importance of saving water and the value of water to communities.”

For more information on the program, which is available to all Victorian schools, visit www.myswep.com.au.

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