Council's Water Action

Wyndham City Councils (WCC) water management activities have largely been driven through the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) Water Campaign and Melbourne Waters Sustainable Water Use Plan Program.  An outline of both of these programs is provided below. 

This section also includes links to information on some of the activities WCC had undertaken to reduce water consumption from both its operations as well as in the wider community.  Information is also presented on steps Council is taking to reduce human impact on the quality of local waterways. 

For more information on Councils approach to reducing water management please refer to Wyndhams Water Action Plan.

The Water Campaign

WCC joined the ICLEI Water Campaign in 2003.  The Water Campaign is a milestone based program that provides local governments with a strategic and coordinated approach to water management. The Milestones for the Program are:

• Milestone 1 Inventory of water consumption and water quality issues
• Milestone 2 Establish goals for water conservation and improvement in water quality
• Milestone 3 Develop a Local Action Plan
• Milestone 4 Implement water conservation and water quality actions
• Milestone 5 Monitor and report progress

There are 75 Australian councils participating in the Water Campaign, 32 of which are Victorian.  WCC has achieved Milestone 3 and was the first Victorian council west of Melbourne to complete a Water Action Plan.

The Melbourne Water Sustainable Water Use Plans Program

In June 2004, WCC signed an agreement with Melbourne Water to develop and implement an integrated water management plan.  The agreement with Melbourne Water was in coordination with their Sustainable Water Use Action Plans program.  This program, jointly run by Melbourne Water and the Municipal Association of Victoria, is designed to assist councils to complete an audit of council water usage, set targets for reduction in water consumption and set actions to achieve those targets. 

A Steering Committee was established, involving managers and officers from across the Council, to provide input and advice on what actions Council can take in regard to water management.  The requirements of council relating to both the Corporate module of the ICLEI Water Campaign and the Melbourne Water program are closely paralleled. 

It is appropriate to recognise that Melbourne Water provided $10,000 in direct funding to WCC to employ a part time water conservation officer to assist in the completion Councils Water Action Plan.

Further Information