Increased use of desalination in Western Australia means that residents in the southwest of the state will be able to save even more money by installing a synthetic grass lawn.
Premier Colin Barnett announced that the capacity of the Southern Seawater Desalination Plant (SSDP) as a result of decreased flow into dams and the $450m decision will mean higher water bills for householders.
This is estimated to increase domestic water bills by $1 per week and Perth’s synthetic grass specialists, Green Planet Grass, have reminded Western Australians that water bills can be drastically reduced by installing Australian-made artificial lawns.
Householders who install a 50m2 synthetic grass lawn can save around 200 litres of water a day and, with bills set to keep on rising, the savings associated with Green Planet Grass products will continue to grow over time.
Jeff Dennis, Managing Director of Green Planet Grass, said: “With water prices already having risen steeply in recent years, the additional cost associated with the new desalination commitment from the government will be felt by householders – but synthetic grass can bring significant savings over time.
“For example, if you have a 50m2 buffalo grass lawn, replacing it with synthetic grass should save around 200 litres of water a day in Perth. Synthetic grass is a one-off investment and starts saving householders water, money and time from the moment it is installed.
“Depending on the size and of synthetic grass lawn you install, the money saved on water bills could effectively pay off your initial investment in less than three years.”
Even though rainfall has been at an eight-year high during the winter of 2011, dams in the southwest were less than a third full on the first day of spring – 31.6% on September 1. The outlook for water provision in the southwest has been a challenge for some time and has inevitably led Barnett’s government to order the provision of 100 billion litres of extra drinking water a year through the expanded desal plant.
The government says this will secure future water needs for communities from Perth to the Goldfields and that the expansion of the new plant was essential. The first stage of the desalination plant near Binningup cost $955million.
Domestic water use in Perth is highest in the garden so synthetic grass provides a genuine option for more sustainable use of our vital water resource.
