Water dripping away

Alex de Vos
Barwon Water is Australia’s best water-saving corporation, according to a National Water Commission report.
But the region’s water authority is still losing 38 litres of water per connection a day.
Barwon Water managing director Michael Malouf blamed the drought and its “effect on crucial water infrastructure”.
“Dry shifting ground causes pipes to crack, while thirsty trees searching for water created a different range of problems,” Mr Malouf said.
He praised the water giant for “responding positively to demanding environmental circumstances and continuing to minimise customer inconvenience and losses from the water supply network”.
He said Barwon Water had introduced a range of programs to reduce bursts and leaks across the network.
“Activities included lining and covering water supply basins to reduce evaporation and seepage, increased preventive maintenance, leakage detection programs and creation of pressure management zones,” he said.
“Other initiatives include recovering water flushed from the network during maintenance repairs and placing a higher priority on early responses to shut down leaking pipes.”
The Parliamentary Secretary for Water Dr Mike Kelly said the report mirrored the “devastating impact of continuing drought”.
He praised the nation’s water utilities for their work securing “our cities growing water needs and adapting to climate change and a future with less water”.
“At the same time, the industry is improving its performance in vital areas including customer service, asset management, environment, finance and pricing,” Dr Kelly said.
However, Geelong Environment Council president Joan Lindros labelled the report “disturbing”.
“I’m very concerned that so much water is being lost,’ Ms Lindros said.
“It’s certainly something that needs to be addressed and I think a lot of money will have to be spent on infrastructure if the drought continues.”