Capecare sets new water saving benchmark

In a first for any Busselton business, local aged care provider Capecare has completed a Water Efficiency Management Plan (WEMP), committing to halving its water usage over the next five years.

Busselton Water Chief Executive Officer Chris Elliott explained a WEMP is required to be completed by all heavy water users – or any business that uses more than 20,000kL of scheme water a year.

“The WEMP assesses the amount water used and identifies inefficiencies and potential water conservation measures right across the business,” Mr Elliott said.

“Working with our larger water users remains a key focus for Busselton Water, so it’s particularly pleasing to be able to highlight the good work being done locally to reduce water use by one of our biggest water users,” Mr Elliott said.

“The WEMP is a very thorough plan that will greatly benefit Capecare and, more broadly, the Busselton community by saving a significant amount of water,” he added.

In preparing the WEMP, Capecare has implemented a range of water saving measures across the business – from simple improvements in cleaning methods to more significant changes like replacing lawn areas for native gardens.

Capecare General Manager of Operations Dominic Trombetta is optimistic about the program and what it will deliver for the business.

“As we’ve grown over the past few years, we’ve seen our water consumption escalate – which not only increased our costs, but has also provided us with this great opportunity to focus on how we could do things better,” Mr Trombetta said.

“Through this process with Busselton Water, we’ve set ourselves a goal of reducing our consumption to less than 20,000kL per year – and with the changes we’ve made, we think it’s very achievable,” he said.

Mr Trombetta said a comprehensive water use audit was undertaken and new a data logger was installed to monitor weekly water usage.

“We’ve also changed our reticulation from mains water to bore water and made simple modifications like moving from a traditional mop and bucket cleaning method to microfibre cloths that use significantly less water.”

To congratulate them on the steps they’ve taken to reduce water consumption, Busselton Water has also recognised Capecare as a Waterwise Business in Action.

Busselton Water Chair Helen Shervington said the Waterwise Business in Action recognition program is designed to highlight businesses that are working to conserve water.

“I congratulate Capecare on their hard work to conserve our precious water resource and I encourage all local households and businesses to consider how they could do the same,” Ms Shervington said.

Is your business doing something practical to reduce, reuse or recycle water? If so, nominate it to become a Busselton Water Waterwise Business in Action by completing a nomination form.