Dunsborough Primary gets an A+ for water savings

Dunsborough Primary School has saved tens of thousands of litres of water each week since April.

The massive savings have been made due to a new smart irrigation system that was installed by the Water Corporation.

The high-tech irrigation system was installed as part of the Water Corporation’s Waterwise Towns Program.

The program aims to provide practical solutions to homes and businesses seeking to make savings in water use.

The smart irrigation technology solution called Hydrawise automatically adjusts watering based on local weather data.

The Hydrawise system uses historical weather data and daily forecasts, as well as satellite data, atmospheric data from airplanes and pressure readings from mobile phones.

All of this data is then used to calculate watering needs at Dunsborough Primary School.

The flow of water from the school tanks is also being monitored as part of this system.

Water Corporation regional manager Nicky Waite has been looking at the data.

“The system acts as a virtual weather station and feeds the daily weather conditions at the school into the controller which, in turn, adjusts the flow of water from the tanks, as well as how long the irrigation stays on,” Ms Waite said.

“As we head into summer, the automated control over watering will make sure the gardens get the water they need to survive without excessive watering.”

Associate principal Simon Bott said the school had cut the amount of water it used for irrigation by 54 per cent in the past year, making it a standout graduate of the 2022-23 Waterwise Towns Program.

“The new system saves, on average, a massive 84,000 litres of irrigation water each week at Dunsborough Primary and reduces the cost of keeping the school green,” Mr Bott said.

“This is a substantial saving but the quality of our lawns, the oval and gardens have not suffered. By demonstrating this to our community, it teaches them to be waterwise.”

To find out how to be waterwise go to www.watercorporation.com.au/Waterwise.