Target 150

Target 150 is a voluntary water conservation initiative of the Victorian Government.

It aims to encourage people to be mindful of our precious resource and reduce our average daily water use to below 150 litres per person. The average is currently 157 litres per person per day, so we have more work to do. Look at your water bill to find out your household’s average daily water use per person.

With Melbourne’s population growing quickly and the climate changing with extreme weather events and uncertain rainfall, we always need to look for ways to save our precious drinking water.

Every drop counts

To help reduce your daily water use, here’s some handy tips.

Indoor

• Stick to 4-minute showers. This saves thousands of litres of water each year.
• Install a water-efficient showerhead. An efficient WELS 3-star rated showerhead uses as little as 5 litres every minute, compared to 15–20 litres per minute for an inefficient one.
• Turn the tap off when brushing your teeth. A running tap can waste up to 16 litres of water every minute. 
• Install water efficient appliances and equipment. Find out more about water efficiency labelling and standards at waterrating.gov.au
• Fit flow-controlled aerators to your taps. These are inexpensive and can reduce water flow by 50 per cent. 
• Fix leaky taps or toilets. A leaky tap can waste 30–200 litres of water every day and a running toilet can waste up to 60,000–96,000 litres of water every year.

Outdoor

• Put mulch on your garden beds. This will reduce evaporation by up to 70 per cent.
• Water your plants with shower water. Keep a bucket in the shower to capture water while it warms up.
• Install a drip irrigation system. This will water plants more efficiently at the roots and help reduce weeds.
• Install a rainwater tank. Your garden and back pocket will thank you.
• Test your soil before watering. If the soil is moist, your plants don’t need watering.