Discovery Parks Woodman Point

Our water use bills were rising, so we had a data logger installed on our water metre by Water Corporation, which confirmed continuous water use, most likely caused by a leak or several leaks. However, inspections throughout the park didn’t turn up much, so we needed to think outside the box.  Because our park has over 100 permanent residents, we decided to seek their help in our leak hunt.

We ran a campaign and sent letters to residents encouraging them to report leaks. This led to a water use reduction of 45% and a $13,000 saving in water use charges. 

“The main highlight was the resident’s reaction to the initial letter we sent. The letter stated that we are searching for leaks in the park, and if they could help us, we would appreciate it. We received an amazing response from this letter about potential leaks that needed to be addressed, this included leaking air-conditioners, toilets and taps leaking, which our team fixed" – Anthony Grant, Caretaker

Daily checks around the park are shared amongst the team so fresh eyes
are always looking for leaks.

How we did it

Following the letter campaign, we door knocked on all permanent residents. This led to the discovery of many leaking air-conditioners, toilets and taps being identified which our team fixed. Our maintenance team also walked the park during low activity and noise to listen for any water running. The team then visited residents during the day and offered to fix any leaks. Over time repairing the individual leaks eliminated the larger baseflow we saw on the data logger. 

Small leak repairs led to big savings

Our grounds team were tasked with doing daily site checks for visible leaks. We introduced a standard that any reported leak would be actioned within 24 hours. This was so we could resolve the issue quickly and ensure minimal impact on our water usage.

After receiving positive feedback from residents, we continued our door-to-door visits fortnightly. Our maintenance team continues to walk the park during quiet periods to listen for unexplained running water.
 

What we’re doing now

In the past 6 years, we’ve evolved and adapted to ageing infrastructure and over 100 residential properties on site.

We review our data logger daily and receive regular reports from Water Corporation. This allows us to keep a close eye on our water use and flag any irregularities or possible leaks immediately. All water issues are logged and include information like:

• when the leak was detected, and how long it took to fix
• the cost of the leak
• the return on the cost of fixing the leak

This helps our maintenance team understand the impact even a small leak could have.

Maintenance staff at Discovery Parks Woodman Point.

Where possible, we upgrade old taps to efficient models when upgrades to accommodation or shared amenities occur. The team shares our daily checks around the park, so fresh eyes always look for leaks.

We’re also working with other parks to make a positive impact on their water usage. Many of our initiatives have been rolled out at other Discovery Holiday Parks in WA to assist them with improving their water efficiencies.