Trans-Tasman water demand management

International professional services company GHD has been engaged to provide water demand management services by Metrowater Limited in Auckland, New Zealand and Ipswich Water in Queensland, Australia.

Metrowater Limited sought to reduce per capita consumption by 5% over the next 20 years and subsequently engaged GHD to develop a water demand management action plan.

Leveraging off its experience in Australia, GHD produced a multi-layered analysis of effective demand management initiatives, and short-listed these initiatives into an action plan based on costs, benefits and a schedule for practical application. The implementation of this plan will include fundamental steps such as water audits to identify opportunities for conservation and the roll-out of retrofit programs for appliances and fittings, all of which will have flow-on effects to clients through lower water bills and reduced electricity costs.

GHD has been involved in a similar project in Queensland for Ipswich Water, preparing an integrated urban management strategy discussion paper.

The city of Ipswich has forecast that its population will grow by 400% in the next century and it does not have available the natural water resources to meet the expected domestic and industrial demand.

GHD's discussion paper identified a number of practical water demand management strategies for consideration. One recommendation is to develop the ability to recycle water, which will attract new industrial and business development to the city.

In both the Auckland and Ipswich projects, the strategies recommended for managing water demand are designed to have sustainable social, economic and environmental outcomes.