North Kalgoorlie Primary School’s long-held Water Wise status celebrated as new program rolled out

The State Government hopes to save 60 million litres of water in the first year of a new $1.5 million public school program launched in Kalgoorlie-Boulder yesterday. Water Minister Dave Kelly visited North Kalgoorlie Primary School — part of the Water Wise program for 25 years — to announce a program to replace or upgrade water-using amenities to more efficient systems. Eight schools in Kalgoorlie-Boulder are understood to have signed up to the new deal which could shave 10 per cent off their water bills, or about $6000 per year for North Kal. Mr Kelly said the program would reduce the 4.5 billion litres of water WA schools used every year. “I’m delighted that Kalgoorlie public schools are the first to join the Water Efficient Public Schools Program,” he said. “Schools are generally high water users but even simple upgrades like dual-flush toilets or water-efficient taps make a big difference. “It is a significant program and when you are dealing with climate change, every drop counts.” Mr Kelly said local contractors would be used to undertake the upgrades. North Kalgoorlie Primary School principal David Roberts said the school’s native garden had proven one of the campus’ biggest water savers. “This is a good reminder for ourselves that water usage is a significant part of our bill and we want to play our role in being economical with that,” he said. “As with anything at a school you want the kids to learn a little bit from it as well and learn how they can transfer what they know about the school here and how to conserve water to being able to pester mum and dad at home about how to do it too. “If this give be a chance to give some airplay to teachers to impart that knowledge on to kids that is a real benefit.” Potential works include replacing taps and toilets, upgrading irrigation, and installing rainwater tanks.