The City of Armadale, City of Gosnells, Shire of Bridgetown-Greenbushes and Town of Claremont were all welcomed as new waterwise councils, with the Town of Claremont, City of Belmont and City of Albany receiving special recognition as a gold waterwise council.
To achieve gold recognition, endorsed Waterwise Councils must have a Water Corporation approved waterwise verge policy; all aquatic centres within their local government area endorsed as Waterwise Aquatic Centres, and an established Water Management Team within the council.
Platinum Waterwise Councils of the Year also need to provide a range of initiatives they have completed that year that align with the Water Sensitive Cities goals and indicators.
The Minister also congratulated the City of Canning for claiming Water Corporation’s Community Choice Award for its Wharf Street Basin Next Generation Community Park. Chosen by public vote, the park was among six innovative projects showcasing water-efficient design.
The Waterwise Aquatic Centre Program, created in partnership with the Leisure Institute of Western Australia Aquatics, saw 15 aquatic centres achieve gold recognition for delivering best practice water management planning, and achieving industry benchmarks for water efficiency. This is the first time aquatic centres have been recognised at the event.
The impacts of climate change have seen a 20 per cent reduction in rainfall in the State’s south-west since the 1970s, meaning we can no longer rely on rain alone to meet our water needs, and dramatically affecting where precious water supplies are sourced from.
The Waterwise Council Program was introduced by Water Corporation and DWER more than 12 years ago. A total of 46 councils are now endorsed through the program, with eight councils this year recognised for 10 years’ participation. To find out more about the Waterwise Council and Aquatic Centre Programs, here
