Exploring community-based water management options for remote Australia. Final report for the Remote and Isolated Communities Essential Services Project

Exploring community-based water management options for remote Australia. Final report for the Remote and Isolated Communities Essential Services Project Report

• Author(s): Beal, C.D, Jackson, M, Stewart, R.A, Fielding, K, Miller, A, Tan, PL.
• Published: 2019
• Publisher: Griffith University

Link to resource Report broken link

Abstract: The overall aim of this project is to develop an empirically-based and community-driven framework to facilitate the efficient use, and secure long-term supply of water and water-related energy in remote and isolated Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities. STAGE ONE: The research objective was to gather baseline qualitative and quantitative data to characterise water consumption activities, attitudes and challenges as well as water-related energy use in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. The following are key insights from this stage:• Not all remote Australian communities have access to a continuous (“24/7/365”) supply of adequately treated drinking water.• There are good opportunities to substantially reduce water-related energy through community water demand management strategies.• Household health hardware is variable across remote communities and needs to be pragmatically considered when developing community water demand management strategies. For example, around one quarter of all homes surveyed reported having toilet, shower and outdoor tap leaks.• Rainwater is generally more valued than ‘town’ water (e.g. the treated mains supply) as a drinking water source. This is due to the perception of chemicals in the treated water being detrimental to people’s health and also the frequency of “boil water” alerts in some communities.• The distrust of ‘town’ water and preference for rainwater by some residents may present barriers to changing water conservation behaviours e.g. continued use of ‘town’ water (less valued) for high water use activities (e.g. outdoor use).• There is a trend for households that use more outdoor water to be less concerned about water security in their community.• Outdoor water use is inextricably linked to health and wellbeing, yet it is a key contributor of unsustainably high water demand in remote communities. STAGE TWO: The research objective was to trial and evaluate co-developed community-based water demand management (CWDM) strategies in four remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities (including mainland and islands). The following are key insights from this stage: • To help address the range of high water use drivers, behaviours and attitudes, a suite of both community and council/service provider-led water conservation actions is needed within a broader water demand management program.• Water reductions up to 40% of pre-CWDM trial consumption were achieved — though long-term reductions will require sustained and positive efforts from councils/service providers e.g. they need to include the “why” and “how” of water conservation in their on-going messaging to community.• Water-related energy reductions between 25% and 65% of pre-CWDM trial were estimated.• Community responses to the CWDM trial clearly illustrated that councils/water service providers need to more fully engage in a positive and informative way with individual householders. • Individualised water use feedback, including comparisons with the water use of other households was a popular CWDM strategy from the trials in all four communities—from both the community and council/service provider perspective. STAGE THREE: The research objective was to identify suitable and pragmatic community water demand management strategies to promote long-term, efficient use of water in remote communities. The following are key insights from this stage: • There is a need to co-design any CWDM program with Indigenous representation from the start and for collaboration to be truly effective, government must budget sufficient community engagement costs into any water demand management program.• Successful and long term water demand management strategies require a suite of tools to be implemented over time. This is especially true for CWDM in remote Indigenous communities. Each community also has different limitations and opportunities for achieving water efficient outcomes and these must be understood and respected.• WDM strategies can be grouped into five main approaches: Education, Encouragement, Engineering, Economics and Enforcement• Transitioning to a more community focussed WDM approach may initially require a mix of Education/Encouragement strategies and Engineering/Enforcement strategies; with a reduction in these latter two strategies over time.• In the early-mid stages of implementation, communities need a “Safe to Fail” approach to allow some long-term behaviour change patterns to occur and to promote greater trust between local community members, councils/service providers and external parties.• Indoor and outdoor water conservation messaging needs to avoid discouraging the use of water for key Healthy Living Practices essential for human health (washing bodies, washing clothes, washing bedding etc.).

• Urls: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Cara_Beal/publication/337339316_Exploring_community-based_water_management_options_for_remote_Australia_FINAL_REPORT_for_the_Remote_and_Isolated_Communities_Essential_Services_Project/links/5dd3b957a6fdcc7e138d428a/Exploring-community-based-water-management-options-for-remote-Australia-FINAL-REPORT-for-the-Remote-and-Isolated-Communities-Essential-Services-Project.pdf
• Publisher Location: Brisbane