What you can do

Living Sustainably

Waterwise

Build Waterwise homes

Building design

Good design can greatly reduce the amount of water and energy you use, both in and around your home.

BASIX, ensures new homes and multi-unit dwellings are designed and built to use less drinking water and produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions. This scheme also includes building additions and alterations.

A Building Sustainability Index (BASIX) certificate must be supplied with each development application. This certificate is issued on the completion of a BASIX assessment using the online tool. The tool assesses water, energy and thermal demands and establishes targets for minimising waste and maximising efficiency.

Water sensitive design

'Water sensitive design' looks at ways to reuse stormwater in toilets, hot water systems, irrigation systems and infiltration zones.

You can apply 'water sensitive design' principles to all sites, but the options will vary according to the site's constraints and opportunities. You need to:

Check the soil type – sandy soils are excellent for infiltration (water seeping into the soil) but clay soils tend to become waterlogged
Make sure your soil is deep enough – shallow soil with granite, shale or limestone underneath may stop infiltration and require stormwater pipes to take water off-site
Find the ground water table – a high ground water table may reduce infiltration during storms
Ensure the design accounts for the terrain because severe slopes increase run-off speeds

Contact a plumbing or irrigation professional to discuss your needs, and work with them to design a solution that exploits natural drainage and land. For more information visit Green Plumbers or EnviroPlumber websites.