The link between water and energy

Most people in the Shire are aware of the need to conserve water, especially during dry periods. However, not everyone is aware of the link between water conservation and energy conservation.

A lot of energy is needed to produce clean drinking water. In the Shire water gets pumped from the river, which uses electricity. It then goes through a series of treatment processes at Bellingen or Dorrigo Water Treatment Plants which use significant amounts of energy. Pumps are then used to get water into storage reservoirs and deliver it to households. Pumps are used again to get wastewater to the Bellingen, Dorrigo or Urunga Wastewater Treatment Plants where significant amounts of energy are used to treat it so that it can be safely discharged.

To put the energy use in context, of the nearly 100 sites that Bellingen Shire Council manages across the Shire, the Bellingen Water Treatment Plant is the Council’s number one energy consuming site, with every other water and wastewater site making the top 10. This makes water use a climate change issue.

Knowing how much energy is needed to produce clean drinking water we don’t just want to hose it on our cars or use it to clean the driveway. Join other water and energy-conscious households in the Shire by installing a rainwater tank for watering the garden and cleaning outdoors and following the water management hierarchy to reduce consumption.