Douglas Shire Council installed new smart water meters earlier this year and has already reduced water leaks by approximately 200 kL per day – a saving of about five backyard swimming pools.
Councillors today endorsed pumping $1.1 million into expanding the smart water meter program to all properties with reticulated water supply in the Shire.
Douglas Shire Mayor Michael Kerr said the smart water meters formed part of Council’s water security strategy for the region.
“Douglas is a world-class tourist destination that needs a reliable water supply,” he said “The smart water meter program helps Council to detect leaks quicker than ever before and reduce the amount of water being wasted.
“Council is investing in projects which increase our water supply whilst finding and fixing leaks in our network remains a fundamental focus of this Council.”
Once complete a total of 4,700 smart water meters will be installed throughout the shire. A Customer Portal will soon be available for water users to track their water consumption and set up automatic alerts for potential water leaks and high consumption. This will allow the community to better manage how they are using water and assist customer service in answering any enquiries in relation to water use.
To learn more about the smart water metering project visit https://douglas.qld.gov.au/smart-water-meter-program/