Households urged to save bucketloads as new campaign prompts waterwise reminder

• Average household water use in Perth has increased, reversing a two-decade decline  
• Leaking taps, long showers and overwatering among common water-wasting habits 
• Despite desalination, the need to be waterwise is more important than ever 

Water Corporation is urging Perth households to get back to the basics of being waterwise in a new campaign, after new data revealed an increase in residential water use.

The ‘WA - We’re Wasting Bucketloads’ campaign uses a familiar item – a nine-litre bucket – to help visualise the amount of water lost through bad habits like long showers and overwatering gardens. 

In the average home, each person showers for about six minutes a day – two minutes longer than recommended – using an extra 72 buckets of water, or 645 litres, every month. Leaking taps waste about three bucketloads (27 litres) a day.  

In the garden, 348 bucketloads (3,132 litres) are used monthly by watering an extra day a week. 

The campaign follows new research which found one in five people were unaware of their watering days, while 64 per cent didn’t know showers should be four minutes or less. 

The findings reflect a broader trend, with average household water use in 2023-24 its highest level in nearly a decade, reversing a nearly 20 per cent decline since the mid-2000s.      

Less than 50 years ago, Perth averaged 420 billion litres of streamflow into its dams annually. Since then, rainfall has decreased 15-20 percent, leading to an 80 percent drop in streamflow and reduced groundwater recharge.  

Water Corporation General Manager of Customer and Community, Karen Willis said while desalination is helping sustain Perth’s water supply, it’s not a licence to waste water; in fact, we must be more waterwise than ever. 

“Overwhelmingly, Western Australians heed the waterwise message, but with demand rising and rainfall continuing to decrease, it’s essential we keep living that message every day,” Ms Willis said. 

“That means getting back to basics of shorter showers, fixing leaks, sticking to the sprinkler roster, and generally ensuring we’re still treating water like the precious resource it is. 

“Seemingly small waterwise changes at a household level make a huge difference across the community and help ensure collective water security into the future.”   

Water Corporation’s ‘Bucketloads’ campaign will deploy a unique mobile advertisement filled with nine-litre buckets to demonstrate the amount of water lost in a month through water-wasting habits. By travelling to prominent Perth locations, it will provide a visual reminder of the waterwise message.  

For more information on staying waterwise, visit our Waterwise page