2023 Sustainability Report
Healthy water cycles
Domain: Walking the talk in our operations
Aspiration to 2030: The University has used water efficiently and contributed to healthy water cycles.
Progress against targets
| Target | Target status | Progress in 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| The University has reduced total water consumption by 10 per cent relative to a 2019 baseline. |  On track |
|
| The University has significantly increased the proportion of water consumption from non-potable sources compared to a 2019 baseline. |  Needs attention |
|
Our progress
Water consumption in 2023
In 2023, the University has met our target of reducing water consumption by 10 per cent relative to a 2019 baseline, achieving an eight per cent reduction since 2022 and an overall reduction of 26 per cent since 2019. Going forward, progress will be reassessed annually to ensure the target continues to be met in the years to 2025, and the target will be reviewed as part of the broader Sustainability Plan 2030 review planned for 2026.
However, the accuracy of water consumption data remains a challenge. This was a key focus in 2023 with installation, audits and upgrades of water infrastructure across several of our campuses. For example, irrigation controllers on the Parkville, Burnley, Werribee and Southbank campuses were upgraded to Hydrawise technology to enable more efficient and sophisticated irrigation regimes. Hydrawise controllers can be managed remotely, with irrigation rates adjusted automatically to account for recent rainfall and temperature fluctuations. For example, no watering will occur if three millimetres of rain fell in the previous 24 hours, or 38 mm rain in the previous three days.This represents a significant upgrade from previous manual or semi-automated systems, which were not always responsive to changes in rainfall and relied on the physical presence of staff to turn taps on and off. The Hydrawise software will help calculate how much water the University is using for irrigation, enabling us to project current and future water usage and potential water savings. Hydrawise technology is now a requirement in the University Design Standards for all future projects.
Total water use, 2017-2023
Our sustainability strategy
At the University of Melbourne, our efforts in sustainability are guided by Sustainability Plan 2030 - a roadmap for sustainable delivery of our institutional strategy Advancing Melbourne.
Read more about how we are advancing sustainability at the University:
