Barwon Water and the Birregurra Community Working Group teamed up in 2019 to explore sustainable water use opportunities in the community.

Digital meter technology was installed throughout the township in late 2020 which has helped with early leak detection and repair, reducing water wastage and customer water bills. A 12 week summer behaviour change ‘Water Savers’ project was conducted in early 2021 which tracked the weekly use of participants and Birregurra residents. We provided participants with detailed weekly reports on their water use including water use comparisons with other’s and water saving tips. Regular information on sustainable water use has been provided to the community through monthly articles in the Birregurra News, social media and pop up events. Projects to substitute drinking water usage with recycled water have also been identified.

The program has also launched two successful ‘Living Laboratory’ initiatives, where local residents volunteered to put their water use under the microscope. To date the community have participated in ‘Living Laboratories’ on in-home water use (recording shower times and trialling an ultra-water efficient showerhead) and waterwise gardens (site visit by a qualified water efficient garden/irrigation specialist to identify water efficiency opportunities and conduct minor repairs to watering systems).

Barwon Water remains committed to working with the Birregurra community on future phases of the Sustainable Communities - Water program and we thank them for their participation, feedback and insights.