Katherine households have begun to receive notices in their letterboxes about leaks.
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One notice shown to Katherine Times says – “Uh oh! We suspect you have a leak. You may be wasting 13,000 litres or $256 per year”.
The notice also says one in five Katherine homes has a leak.
The NT Government and Power and Water say they are committed to providing safe drinking water to the Katherine community.
“The PFAS situation has highlighted how we all need to work together to ensure Katherine’s water resources remain safe and reliable,” Power and Water online information states.
The NT Government has introduced compulsory water conservation measures which start on Monday.
Leak checks of 2000 Katherine water meters to help save water, officials hope.
Leak Checkers began walking Katherine streets from early this week today to check water meters for signs of leaks, with the aim to save 200 million litres of water – equivalent to 830,000 wheelie bins.
Power and Water, through its Living Water Smart program is working with the Katherine community to reduce water use and help ensure Katherine’s water resource remains safe and reliable.
Senior Manager leading the Living Water Smart Program Jacqui O’Neill is enthusiastic about the effective leak fixing initiative being extended from Darwin to Katherine.
“Leaks are often sneaky and hidden, wasting thousands of litres per year without the home or business owner knowing it. Katherine’s water use is over twice the national average and Living Water Smart has found that leaks are a major cause. Around one in five Katherine homes will have a leak wasting an average of 500,000 litres or over $1000 per year.
“That’s equivalent to each home filling 2083 wheelie bins with water down the drain.”
Living Water Smart’s Community Leak Program can help the Katherine community with these measures and involves two components:
- · Identifying leaks – Leak Checkers will conduct quick leak checks at household and most business water meters (20-25mm meter size). Owners and renters will be notified whether or not there may have a leak via a card left in the letterbox or at the business.
- · Finding and Fixing Leaks – If a potential leak is detected, the leaks card will explain how to take advantage of a new $200 Leak Find and Fix rebate to help confirm or fix a leak, using local plumbers registered with Living Water Smart.
Local plumbers are being invited to become registered suppliers with Power and Water’s Living Water Smart initiative and help deliver services for the $200 Leak Find and Fix rebate.
“With all of us working together by using simple and smarter water saving measures, we can conserve Katherine’s water supply.”