CREATING A WATER SMART FUTURE

Supplied by Simon Lees, Smart Water Fund

Water is a finite and precious natural resource. It underpins the prosperity of our communities and the health of our environment.

Together as a community, our challenge is how we can use our water smarter. Achieving sustainable management of Victoria’s water resources is essential for current and future generations. This includes balancing the ever increasing demand to meet the needs of industry, individuals and the environment.

Use of our precious water resources is influenced by many factors including – population growth, housing types, population densities, water consumption habits, droughts and weather patterns. Current projections indicate large increases in the Victorian population by 2030.

This will place additional pressures on our water resources in terms of residential, commercial, industrial and institutional water uses. These factors and the potential impact of global climate change highlight the need for Victoria to become water smart.

Seventeen percent of Victoria’s water is used in urban areas. As a guide over the past 10 years, Melbourne has consumed an average of 480,000 mega litres of water a year from the Yarra, Thomson and Goulburn Basins – enough to fill the MCG 570 times! Victorians need to be smarter about how we use our water.

The Smarter Water Fund, established in 2002, is part of a commitment by the water industry and the Government to encourage individuals, community groups and businesses in the development of ideas that will make a difference to the way we use our water resources. In particular, the Fund encourages innovative approaches to water and bio solids recycling and increasing water savings for future urban, and environmental needs.

Consumption uses of Water in Victoria

$6 million for innovative projects

The Smart Water Fund is a Victoria-wide urban source of seed funding for innovative water saving, water recycling or bio solids management projects in their planning, design, construction or operation stage and is also available for research and development projects.

This round also incorporates a funding stream for research and development projects within urban Victoria.

The Fund is open to everyone – individuals, community groups, business, research and development organisations and industry.

The Funding Available

The Fund now has $6 million available for innovative, sustainable water use projects. Three different funding streams are available:

• Up to $3 million for Victoria wide urban community and business innovations;
• Up to $2 million for metropolitan Melbourne research and development into some of the key challenges facing the water industry, targeted project descriptions that address these key challenges are available on the Smart Water Fund website; and
• $1 million for Victoria wide urban research and development;

You can apply even if you have previously been awarded funding from the Fund.

What are the Requirements?

The Smart Water Fund will invest in projects that deliver broad environmental, community and commercial benefits across urban Victoria.

The Smart Water Fund only provides financial support, so you will need to demonstrate that all other resource requirements are available to enable successful completion of the project. Generally, each project will need to be completed within three years of receiving grant funding.

Meanwhile, the Victorian Water Trust is providing a secure source of funding for much-needed investment in Victoria’s vital urban water resources – such as water conservation and water recycling – to help set a new direction for sustainable water use in urban Victoria.

Please note that applications close on August 18th, 2005. For more information please visit www.smartwater.com.au

You must be logged in to post a comment Login