Tonight I was invited to the 2007 Savewater Awards, which identifies excellence in water saving across industry, businesses, community groups, local government and individuals.

The Savewater alliance is a non-profit organisation consisting of Victoria’s water authorities and has recently expanded into New South Wales. The alliance aims to promote water conservation and also endeavours to educate businesses, government and the community about the need to minimise water usage.

The awards provide the opportunity to acknowledge excellence in water sustainability. In particular, the Heaterdale Tennis Club, located in Mitcham, won the community group award for replacing its en tout cas tennis courts with a classic clay surface. This has resulted in a saving of about 3,400KL of water per year, equivalent to one Olympic sized swimming pool.

The City of Hume won the local government category, as well as the Award of Excellence. The City of Hume, which is now saving more than 70ML of drinkable water, with the use of recycled water for sporting grounds and the use of rainwater for changerooms, has truly set a new standard for local government to follow.

As Melbourne’s water supplies continue to decrease and with stage four restrictions likely on the 1st of August, the need to conserve water and to ensure our future urban sustainability has never been greater.