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Households could live off rainwater, says ACF branch

The Peninsula has had enough rainfall this year to supply an average household completely from rainwater, according to the Central Coast branch of the Australian Conservation Foundation.

The rainfall is 960mm (31 inches) so far this year, 80 percent of the average of 1215mm, said ACF Central Coast president Mr John Wiggin.

"This is more than twice the amount of rain that many parts of Australia have in good years where everyone lives off tank water," Mr Wiggin said.

"Our figures show that single and two-person households on the Peninsula could easily live off tank water."

Mr Wiggin said that average annual water demand is currently around 140 litres per person per day on the Central Coast.

"This works out at around 51,000 litres per year.

"Every centimetre of rain on a 100 square metre roof yields 1000 litres of water.

"This means our current yield, which is 96,000 litres off a very small house or unit, is very close to meeting the needs of two people.

"This is plenty when you consider most people have much larger roof areas.

Mr Wiggin said it was worth noting that more than 30 per cent of all households on the Peninsula were lone person households, and together with two-person households represented the most common household type.

Mr Wiggin said that his figures showed that the tank size of 3000 litres recommended by many environmental groups was far too small to meet local needs.

In many rural areas, households have tanks of 40,000 litres and more.

"Based on a person taking water from a 100 square metre ("10 square" house) roof, you would have needed a minimum tank size of 6200 litres not to have run out of water on the Peninsula this year.

"If you had a tank this size, it would currently contain 3580 litres of water - just over half full.

"To retain all the rain that has fallen this year, you would have needed a tank of 50,380 litres, and it would currently contain about 48,000 litres of water."

Mr Wiggin said these facts put a lie to statements recently attributed to Gosford Council general manager that "giving every household a rainwater tank ... doesn't help us" in the "worst drought in living history".

Mr Wiggin said that, as well as being able to provide a household with water, "the use of rainwater tanks also increases people's awareness of the preciousness of water".

Media release, December 9 John Wiggin, ACF Central Coast