Outside your home

Households are responsible for almost 80 percent of all water use on the Central Coast. About 30 percent of this is from outside activities like watering the garden, washing your car or maintaining your pool.

By Living Water Smart in your home you can help save this precious resource and secure our water supply for years to come.

The Central Coast has a daily water use target of 150 litres per person. By following this target you can save water and money. This brochure gives you some tips to help reduce your water use.

Thirty per cent of water used in the home is from outside activities. 21% for watering the garden and lawn; 2% for washing cars, boats, driveways, paths and windows; 4% for pool and spa maintenance; and 3% for leaking taps and fixtures.

Gardens and lawns

You can reduce the amount of water used in your garden by:

using native and drought tolerant plants composting the soil
installing a drip irrigation system with timer
installing a rainwater tank
watering with a trigger nozzle hose and only at times when restrictions allow
using soil wetting agents or water saving crystals
using mulch to reduce water loss.

You can reduce the amount of water used on your lawn by:

limiting lawn watering during winter
using an alternate source of water such as a rainwater tank or greywater
mowing grass higher to make it more drought tolerant
not mowing if hot weather is expected
reducing your grassed area
fertilising all year round.

Do not use fixed hoses, sprinklers and micro spray systems for watering your garden or lawn. These devices waste a large amount of water.

Car and boat washing

Reduce the amount of water used when washing your car or boat by using a bucket and sponge or a trigger nozzle hose. To minimise runoff it is recommended you wash your car or boat on the lawn.

You should also follow the current water restrictions for car and boat washing.

Other outdoor cleaning

Reduce the amount of water used for outside cleaning by using a broom, brush or rake. Swap your hose for a:

broom to clean driveways and paths
bucket and sponge to clean windows and outdoor furniture.

Pools and spas

Evaporation is a major reason for water loss from pools and spas. You can reduce the amount of water used for pools and spas by:

installing a pool cover to reduce evaporation
backwashing your filter on the lawn
using a bucket or rainwater tank to top up your pool
installing a cover over the pool such as a shade sail to limit evaporation
following the current water restrictions.

Taps and fixtures

Dripping taps can waste up to 200 litres per day.

You can check if you have a leak by regularly monitoring your water meter. If you see a large increase in your meter readings it is possible you have a leak. To check for a leak you should record the reading when no water will be used for a few hours, like before you go to bed. Check the water meter in the morning and any increase shows there may be a leak.

You can reduce the water wasted from taps and fixtures by:

fixing dripping taps, usually by replacing the washer
installing new water efficient taps
retrofitting old taps with aerators or flow control valves.

If you can’t find the source of the leak or need help changing fixtures contact your plumber.

Top 10 tips for saving water outside the home

Install a rainwater tank
Reuse greywater on your garden
Use a trigger nozzle hose
Use a bucket when washing your car
Use a broom to clean driveways and paths
Plant drought resistant plants
Use mulch on your garden to keep in moisture
Use a pool cover to stop evaporation
Follow the current water restrictions
Regularly monitor your water meter