It may surprise you to learn that only about 1% of domestic water is used for cooking and drinking.  The rest of our beautifully treated water is used for bathing, flushing toilets, washing clothes, watering lawns and gardens and many other uses.  Please take a look at these Water Facts.

The average SCRD water customer uses approximately 620 litres of water every day, considerably higher than many other west coast communities.  The graph shown here provides a comparison between average daily water use per person in the SCRD and in other communities based on 2001 consumption data.  The figures include both residential and non-residential water use (i.e. all sectors).

While the Sunshine Coast has plenty of rain in the winter, summers are typically dry.  As illustrated in the second graph, SCRD water use is highest in the summer months (when creek flows are lowest).  This puts considerable stress on our surface and groundwater supplies and on our water distribution system.

The goal of the SCRD’s Water Conservation Program is to reduce the rate of drinking water consupmption by promoting water efficient practices and technology.  By doing this we can reduce the impacts on local streams and groundwater aquifers, and defer the need for expensive new water supply, storage and treatment infrastructure.