Community Information Session
How much water are you using per person per day?
What does 125L per person per day look like?
Waterwise tips
Waterwise updates

Following a significant decline in rainfall, the Gladstone Region was drought declared by the Queensland Government on 1 May 2019. Drought conditions have affected Miriam Vale’s primary water source, Baffle Creek, and Gladstone Regional Council is currently scoping a solution to improve water security for the Miriam Vale township.

It is important to understand that Council is acting quickly to source a solution and strategies are in place to ensure residents will continue to have access to safe drinking water.

Council has explored solutions to safely supplement the existing water source. This has included the identification of an alternate water source, the installation of a bore and subsequent testing to determine quality and production yield.

To ensure quality, safety and reliability, water testing is required to be conducted over thirty days. Whilst testing occurs, Council will supplement the water supply by trucking water to the Miriam Vale Water Treatment Plant. You may notice up to six water trucks per day during the testing period.

The Bureau of Meteorology has predicted the region will continue to experience dry conditions up to late 2019, so the careful use of our water supply during drought conditions is vital for our community.

Council's Drought Management Plan requires the implementation of water restrictions to safely manage the region's water supply. With the current conditions, water restrictions will be implemented in Miriam Vale and Council will consult with the community to discuss these restrictions and other water saving initiatives.

Council will support the community through an education program and will work collaboratively to identify water saving initiatives with the community. By working together and being conscious of our usage, we can ensure we have a sustainable water supply for our community.

Community Information Session

Thank you to community members who attended Gladstone Regional Council’s Miriam Vale Water Supply Security information session on Wednesday 25 September and providing your valuable feedback and insights on water saving initiatives. The key items have been summarised below:

Water saving initiatives

• Measuring water consumption via water meter
• Using grey water on gardens and lawns
• Water timers on outdoor taps
• Full load when washing
• Water saving showerheads
• Education program for young people/in schools
• Stop-start showers
• Signage in public areas reminding tourists of water restrictions
• Hand watering lawn instead of using a sprinkler
• Catch water leaking out of tap/collect water from shower 
• Investigate using hand sanitizer in public toilets
• Using the half flush function on toilets
• Half of the park toilets switched over to ½ flush functionality only
• Water play feature will remain turned off at Alf Larson Lions Park

How much water are you using per person per day?

Water Usage Calculator

What does 125L per person per day look like?

Cooking

Use minimal water for food preparation, e.g. don't run water to defrost or rinse food.

Household cleaning

Use waterless products and collect greywater to reuse where possible.

Toilet

Dual flush toilets use 5 litres of water on average instead of 11 litres used by older, single flush toilets.

Drinking

Water, tea and coffee.

Dish washing

Washing up in the sink or single use of dishwasher, which uses 13 litres per cycle.

Teeth and hygiene

Don't let taps run for too long or at full flow. Use waterless hand sanitiser instead.

Pets

Small to medium domestic pets.

Shower

Take short, stop-start showers using a water efficient showerhead. AAA rated showerheads use only 7.5 litres of water per minute on average. Water efficient showerhead - 4 mins. Non water efficient showerhead - 2 mins.

Washing machine

AAAA rated front loading washing machines use 40 litres of water per load instead of 130 litres of water per load used by top loading machines.

Garden and outdoor areas

Use a broom to clean outdoor surfaces. Blanket topsoil with a layer of mulch to reduce evaporation.

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