Saving our Community’s Water

The Mt Pleasant Natural Resource Centre, with assistance from the Australian Government’s Community Water Grants, will be implementing a water savings project this year to help our local community save water.

The Mt Pleasant Natural Resource Centre received $45,318.18 in Round 3 of Community Water Grants. The Mt Pleasant Natural Resource Centre is a non profit volunteer based centre that has been operating for over 8 years within the community.

The MPNRC Water Savings project will result in substantial water savings, and involves a high level of community commitment through volunteer hours and co-contributions to projects. The MPNRC shares a building with The Barossa Council Mt Pleasant Library branch, the Upper Torrens Land Management Project and staff from the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management Boards Land Management Program.

Over 15,000 people visit the building each year which currently uses over 338,000 litres of mains water that comes from our stressed Murray River. Once this project is completed, the building will be self-sufficient on rain water harvested from the roof, saving over 338,000 litres of Murray River mains water a year.

Benefits of the project include:

• Upgrade of toilet facilities to showcase low water use duel flush cisterns and waterless urinals.
• Upgrade of taps with low flow devices .
• Installing tanks and pumps to harvest and reuse rainwater on the site.
• Upgrade of garden irrigation system to include drip that is sensor controlled.
• Water filtration system for drinking water.

This project will enable the MPNRC and other users of the building, including the general public to reduce their use of Murray River water and allow the site to act as an example and teaching aid for water saving and efficiency best practice management.

The MPNRC Management Committee are excited about the project and hope that their example will help educate people by showing how to reduce their dependency on Mains Water.