The Advertiser
By: Clare Reddie, Science Reporter
If every South Australian saves an extra 70 litres of water a day, we would each do more to save the River Murray and Lower Lakes than our Victorian counterparts.
Victorians have been set a target of using no more than 155 litres of water each a day.
South Australia's newly appointed Commissioner for Water Security, Robyn McLeod, says we can match - or better - that target.
However, she said it would be a challenge to cut average daily water use from 219 litres per person to 150 litres, because the climate is hotter and drier here. But she believes it can be done.
"We have the power in our own hands to do it,'' she said.
"But I'd rather us do it because we want to save water rather than because we want to beat Victoria . . . I'd like it to be seen as something people get on board and do.''
She applauded The Advertiser and Alexandrina Council's Water Watchers campaign and encouraged all residents to take part.
"There are lots of ways we can save water here and I'd encourage people to really be creative about how they save water,'' she said.
"Don't mow your grass too short . . . and remember a shower should be no longer than an average song on the radio.''
Ms McLeod started work in her new role on November 10, 2008. She moved to SA from Victoria where she was the director of KPMG's National Water Group and a key adviser to State Governments in Tasmania and Western Australia. She was formerly employed by the Victorian Government.
Ms McLeod says SA is leading the nation in water recycling, where there are more homes with rainwater tanks and irrigators are more efficient. But there is work still to be done.
"South Australians need to be proud of themselves for what they've done to date,'' she said. "The area in which there is still room for improvement is demand management, so is water use in our households, our industries and our commercial buildings.''
If we fail to manage demand in the face of climate change, we can expect water to become far more expensive, she said.
"We will just keep building desal plants and we'll just keep doubling the water price,'' she said. "It will become a very expensive product unless people start to value it and conserve it.''
Melbourne's Target 155 campaign was launched in November last year, following a highly successful campaign in South East Queensland called Target 140.
Ms McLeod says she doesn't want to see the Government set a target here in South Australia, because people should be empowered to make the change for themselves.