Rainwater tanks

Rainwater tanks are very popular with the community and this was made clear to us in each phase of consultation throughout the past year. And with good reason -

On average, households that have installed rainwater tanks under the water smart rebate program have reduced their water consumption by 30%.

Rainwater tanks are also installed on new homes under the BASIX scheme.

Approximately 30 million litres of drinking water is being saved each year due to the installation of over 500 rainwater tanks under the water smart rebate scheme.

The amount of drinking water savings achieved by rainwater tanks will normally be less in dry years when there is less rainfall to capture.

“Encourage residences and businesses to collect their own water off roof tops.”

Community comment

The effectiveness of rainwater tanks relies on a number of factors, including how well the rainwater capture and end-use connections are installed and maintained, and the owner’s willingness and ability to use the system as intended, and to pay for repairs when required.

The performance of rainwater tanks is reduced by poor installation and inadequate maintenance, such as blocked gutters and failed pumps. Although there is limited data on the performance of rainwater tanks, particularly for systems beyond a few years old, it has been estimated that over half rainwater tanks are fully functional.

If rainwater tanks were to be the total solution, then everyone property would require a tank of at least 45,000L. This is not practical or feasible due to space requirements and the costs involved in retrofitting such large tank in built up areas. Nonetheless, rainwater tanks are a great solution, especially on the coast where rainfall is usually relatively high.

Although rainwater tanks and stormwater harvesting can reduce the overall demand on a water supply system, they may not be able to provide significant water savings during a drought. Target

We will aim to provide at least 25 rainwater tank rebates per year to help those households reduce their water use by approximately 30%