Local schools take action on water efficiency as dry conditions continue
Since the program began in 2012, schools in the Yarra Valley Water region have saved more than 2.5 billion litres of water, and more than $10 million in reduced bills through SWEP.
The program enables participating schools to track their water usage via data-loggers and online monitoring dashboards to detect leaks and promote water wise habits.
Yarra Valley Water’s General Manager Strategy and Community Tiffany White said she was proud of the positive difference it makes, particularly as ongoing dry conditions put pressure on our water supplies.
“Our positive results continue to grow as more schools join the program, with more teachers and students taking action to use water wisely,” she said.
“Melbourne’s storages have dropped to 72.2%, a 17% decrease compared to the same time last year, so programs like SWEP are more critical than ever.”
There are now 400 schools in the Yarra Valley Water service area that have signed up to the program and are now able to monitor their water usage to quickly identify and rectify leaks, faulty equipment or left-on taps.
Reservoir Primary School is one of the latest schools in the region to sign up. Principal Carolyn Bamberg said she was pleased to join the program.
“We’re delighted to be part of the program. As a school, we want to be as efficient and environmentally friendly as possible, and joining SWEP supports us with this aim."
Statewide, schools have collectively saved more than 11 billion litres of water and $37.9 million for schools in reduced water bills. On average, participating schools saved $1,800 on their water bills last year alone.
Many schools start seeing benefits soon after joining. Lilydale Primary School joined the program in 2024. Principal Andrew Weaver said SWEP quickly showed its value.
“There was a leak at the school that we were only able to identify because of SWEP,” Mr Weaver said.
“There were no visible signs of the leak, but we were able to see through the data the program provided us with that water usage was still high overnight.
“Eventually, we were able to locate and fix the leak. Without SWEP we would not have known about it in the first place, so we certainly benefited from being part of the program.”
SWEP also includes educational resources that have been designed to tie in with the Victorian maths and science curriculum.
Students can view graphs and data on their own school’s water usage and come up with ideas to make further savings.
“It’s a great way of engaging students in understanding about how they can improve water efficiency, and we’ve received some really positive feedback from the schools that use the educational material,” Ms White said.
Yarra Valley Water administers the SWEP on behalf of the Victorian Government.
Schools wishing to participate in the program can head to the SWEP website to learn more: www.myswep.com.au
The top five schools in Yarra Valley Water’s service area to save the most water through SWEP in 2024 were:
- Mernda Central College (8,873,198 litres saved)
- Greensborough Primary School (5,105,775 litres saved)
- Eltham College (4,586,098 litres saved)
- Balwyn High School (3,596,920 litres saved)
- Mount Lilydale Mercy College (2,716,855 litres saved)