Sustainable Water Management Plan - Nillumbik Shire Council

Local Law relating to dog excrement
Amenity Local Law Number 5 requires people
in charge of dogs in public places to collect and
appropriately dispose of any excrement deposited
by that dog (Part 5 – Animals Clause 24). Signage
and rubbish bags have been installed at several
reserves to assist dog owners to comply. Council
staff also undertake several bike patrols each year
throughout reserves to enforce this Law, however
current resource levels limit the ability to undertake
regular patrols.
Environmental Events program
Council runs a number of environmental events,
seminars and workshops as part of its annual
Environmental Events program. Events focus on
providing sound environmental and sustainability
education and ideas to local residents for
implementation at home. Examples include
designing an indigenous garden, sustainable and
water efficient gardening, home composting and
erosion prevention and control. Events are evaluated
by participants which assists with the review and
future development of the program to ensure
community needs are met in future years.
Wastewater management
Domestic wastewater management
Council developed and adopted the Nillumbik
Domestic Wastewater Management Plan in 2003
to provide strategic direction in managing domestic
wastewater issues in the Shire. Since its adoption,
a number of actions from this Plan have been
implemented.
An effective permit and inspection program has been
developed to ensure that all new or altered systems
are installed as per the EPA Code of Practice for
Septic Systems and include detailed conditions
of use. Information collection and retention about
systems within the Shire has improved, however
some information is unavailable or often only
accessible in individual property files. Opportunities
for reporting on the number and status of systems
and system performance with the current database
are also limited. Effective education programs and
surveys have assisted Council in assessing the
problem and addressing issues but needs to be
explored further.
Greywater reuse options
Council developed an information brochure on reuse
options for greywater for the home, providing a
brief overview of greywater treatment and diversion
systems and the EPA regulations governing its use.
Other
Melbourne WaterWatch support
Melbourne Waterwatch is a community education
program that involves volunteers from schools
and community groups monitoring the health of
our waterways. In Nillumbik, there are numerous
Waterwatch groups monitoring sites along the
Diamond Creek, Arthurs Creek, Watsons Creek and
Yarra River. Council currently supports these groups
through the provision of sampling equipment and
materials in addition to jointly funding a Regional
Waterwatch Coordinator with Banyule, Whittlesea,
Yarra and Darebin City Councils.
Sustainable Gardening Australia (SGA)
SGA provides advice on gardening practices
and clearly identifies low environmental impact
products. SGA’s mission is to change the way all
Australian garden to ensure that they are working
with our environment when gardening. Council has
supported SGA through the nursery accreditation
program and industry and community training.
APPENDIX G
Best practice water management
Best practice means undertaking operations that deliver the best environmental, social and financial
outcomes for the organisation. 12 Through the development and implementation of this Plan, Council
has taken a significant step towards best practice water conservation in all of its operations.
Key steps to achieving best practice in water conservation include:
1. Understanding water demand
Understanding water consumption levels, what
the water is being used for, and who the user
is, allows Council to strategically determine
priority sites for water efficiency measures.
2. Identifying water saving opportunities
Identify the best water saving opportunities
and implement actions that deliver big
wins first.
3. Implementing efficiency before reuse/
recycling measures
Councils are familiar with the 3Rs – reduce,
reuse, recycle, and this should also be applied
to water use. The installation of water efficient
devices such as flow control valves and AAA
rated white goods and showerheads are a
low cost solution that deliver significant water
savings. These devices are usually cheaper
and easier to install than recycling/reuse
methods and deliver shorter paybacks
on investment.
4. Creating partnerships
By developing partnerships with key
stakeholders in water conservation, Nillumbik
Shire Council can access expert advice, share
costs in projects and remain at the forefront on
water conservation issues. Key stakeholders
include Yarra Valley Water, Melbourne Water,
ICLEI, all levels of government and the
community.
5. Monitor and evaluate actions
Monitoring and evaluation is the key to
ensuring that investments remain strategic
and assist in determining whether actions
are delivering the best outcomes. Monitoring
results also helps to identify real outcomes in:
• Environment – volume of water saved
and not removed from rivers and storage
facilities, reduction in energy and chemicals
used to treat and transport the water before
it gets to the tap.
• Social – behaviour change, enhanced
awareness, community and stakeholder
partnerships.
• Financial – cost savings from reduced
water use and waste water disposal
charges, e.g. Sewage Disposal Charge,
Trade Waste charges
12
www.clearwater.asn.au
What is best practice in water conservation?
60 Sustainable Water Management Plan Sustainable Water Management Plan