Water saving initiatives
How much water are you using per person per day?
What does 125L per person per day look like?
Water wise tips
Water wise updates

In May of 2019, following a significant decline in rainfall, the Gladstone Region was drought declared by the Queensland Government.  These drought conditions affected Miriam Vale’s primary water course and in response Gladstone Regional Council trucked water to the Miriam Vale Water Treatment Plant to assist with water security for the township.

We are now very pleased to advise that the Miriam Vale Water Treatment Plant is once again being supplied by the Baffle Creek water source.  As per Council’s Drought Management Plan extensive testing was conducted prior to switching back to the Baffle Creek water supply.  This ensures safe and hygienic water for residents prior to the switchover.  You may still see trucks supplying water to the Miriam Vale Water Treatment Plant on Saturdays or Sundays as Council are currently optimising the plant’s backwash sequence.  This will be for a temporary period only.

While this good news is heralded for the Miriam Vale community, the Bureau of Meteorology advises that several months of above average rainfall will be needed to see signs of a full recovery from current long-term rainfall deficiencies, so the careful use of our water supply during drought conditions is still vital for our community.

Council will continue to support the community through an education program and will work collaboratively to continue 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 now and into the future.

A HUGE thank you to the resilient Miriam Vale community who reduced their township water usage significantly during these times.  Without their dedication and hard work the region would not have seen such great success.

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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