We’re in the midst of a drought here in Melbourne, and some are saying that the drought is gonna last forever - we’ve raped the countryside, and this is the price we pay. And Stuff.
Either way, there are rules on what we can and can’t use water for (for exmaple, you can water your garden between certain times, but not your lawn). Large fines apply.
I have heard anecdotally that residential watre usage in any developed city is a tiny percentage (ie, 10 to 15%) of total water usage, implying commercial and industrial are the main users (and, by extension, applying restrictions to Joe Surburban is not really worth the effort. And it’s a lotta effort, the advertising bill alone must be astronomical, covering TV, newspapers, radio, etc, with high frequency).
I hesitate to believe that our gummint would do something like this if it was not necessary, but we all love a good conspiracy theory, right?
What’s a reasonable estimate for the ratio of residential : commercial : industrial water usage?
In western Sydney, there are two large pipes which carry the city’s water supply. A few decades ago, it was an open canal with the water slowly moving by as the city used it. Apparently, it really was possible to see the water speed up during commercial breaks on when a high-rating TV show is on.
I think residential usage is significant.
God, I love this country. I haven’t washed my car for a year. Anywhere else, I’d be a lazy sod. Here, it makes me a patriot!
Depends on the city.In Vegas the biggest water wasters are residential /commercial operations that need/or want it to produce grass,an element not found in this climate.
I don’t know Sidney’s climate or water table/supply system,but I’m sure there’s a fair amount of indoor plumbing.That costs in a metro area of a couple million.And that,basically will be used every day by it’s citizens-well maybe some of the scuzzier denizens may be helpful in that regard.
You seem to have answered your own question. If you can cut residential use in half you can save 8% of your total water usage. Whether that is wort hit or not is personal opinion. However you should bare in mind that this is probably only 1 consumption cutting exercise. There will probably also be restrictions on watering parks and gardens, which might save another 8%, and a further 8% saved by restrictions on some industrial activities. Then you have nearly a quarter of the water use removed.
Those numbers come from a pretty crappy PR document (warning, .PDF) from Melbourne Water.
Note that Melbourne Water isn’t in a position to know what the figures are, because it only sells water to a few water retailers. It doesn’t have any real knowledge of where the water goes after that.
