Water & energy initiatives

​Two major environmental issues facing the City are climate change and sustainable water management. The City has recognised its responsibility to act on these important issues and has developed a Sustainable Water Management Plan and a Climate Change Plan.

The City also participates in the Waterwise Council and Cities Power Partnership ​programs.

Sustainable Water Management Plan

The City’s revised Sustainable Water Management Plan was adopted in December 2021. This plan covers water conservation and water quality issues (such as litter) with a focus on City-owned assets.  ​

A number of initiatives have been implemented as part of the original and revised plan including:

• water monitoring and leak detection – ten buildings were fitted with water data loggers and a real-time monitoring system was installed at the Recquatic. These have picked up several large leaks saving approximately 12 million litres of water;
• public toilet retrofit – inefficient toilets and urinals were replaced at Sloan’s Reserve, Rhodes Park, Medina Oval and Challenger Beach;
• administration building, depot and Recquatic water efficiency retrofit – water efficient toilets, flow restrictors, sub-meters and low flow showerheads were installed at the Depot,the Administration Building and the Recquatic. This saves more than 900,000 litres of water per year;
• water sensitive urban design at the Kwinana Adventure Park - the Kwinana Adventure Park project included the installation of four raingardens (gardens which filter stormwater);
• builders’ litter and illegal dumping project – the City sourced Keep Australia Beautiful to tackle illegal dumping and builders’ litter in Millar Wellard reserve. This project included the installation of two covert cameras, two litter cleanups, signage and a letter drop to neighbours encouraging them to report littering;
• Waterwise Verge Gardening Program - this program encourages residents to plant a local native waterwise garden on their verge. As an incentive they are eligible to receive free mulch, subsidised local native seedlings through the existing seedling subsidy scheme, verge gardening tips and advice;
• trialling ‘litter sock’ gross pollutant traps in City reserves – the City installed two litter socks to capture litter and other physical pollutants from stormwater outlets, and prevent them from entering our natural waterways. Following a successful trial, the City has installed an additional three litter socks onto outlet pipes; and 
• Clean up Australia Day – the City organises Clean Up Australia Day events annually, preventing litter from reaching our natural waterways.

Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Plan

Please refer to the City’s Climate Change page for more details on energy initiatives.