Water sensitive urban development launched
by Water Source
A Melbourne housing development using the latest water-sensitive inventions to help slash drinking water use by 70% has been officially opened.
Coinciding with the sale of the first lots at the Aquarevo development, Victorian Water Minister Lisa Neville opened the Lyndhurst site.
She called for more innovation like that seen in South East Water’s collaboration with Villawood Properties.
“We all need to reduce our reliance on drinking water as we deal with the challenges of population growth and climate change,” she said.
“That’s why innovative projects like the Aquarevo development are key to putting people first by making our communities more liveable and sustainable for the future.”
The development makes extensive use of rainwater and recycled water by selecting each individual water source on the basis of its intended use – for example, toilets and washing machines are to be plumbed with Grade A recycled water.
The estate will also house an onsite water recycling plant connected via an intelligent pressure sewer network, while a rain-to-hot-water system will see rainwater captured from the roof, screened, filtered, UV and heat treated, then stored in a tank at each property.
South East Water Managing Director Kevin Hutchings said the 460-lot estate was groundbreaking.
“Using our technology and innovation expertise, South East Water has shown with Aquarevo that there’s a better way to use water at home – without losing the health and liveability this precious resource offers us,” he said.
“We’re excited about what this means for our customers and for the broader water industry.”
The homes will use SEW's OneBox technology – a small, wall-mounted device that will allow residents to track and monitor their energy and water use in near real-time on a single app.
The device will enable Tank Talk, SEW’s rainwater tank invention that gathers data from the Bureau of Meteorology and decides if and when water should be released from a tank prior to a rainfall event.
OneBox will also control and monitor the hot water system and allow SEW to remotely monitor and control the estate’s pressure sewer network and regulate sewer flow.
