'Target 60' reached but Perth residents urged to keep saving water

Water Minister Bill Marmion today praised Perth residents for achieving the 13 billion litre total water saving target set by the Water Corporation's 'Target 60' campaign - more than one month ahead of schedule.

People living in Perth were asked to make the additional saving between December 1, 2010 and March 31, 2011, following the driest winter and spring on record.

"It was a tough challenge to save 60 litres of water per person per day so to hit the target now is a huge achievement," Mr Marmion said.

The Minister said while the response to 'Target 60' had been exceptional, it was not the time to become complacent and he urged everyone to keep up the good work.

"For the first time since the start of the campaign, we didn't achieve our 60 litres per day target this week.  Our average saving this week was 58 litres per person per day because of the hot temperatures we experienced," he said.

"There are still many hot days ahead of us this summer so we simply cannot afford to take our foot off the pedal in terms of saving water."

Mr Marmion said the corporation predicted an additional 63 billion litres of water was still needed from savings and winter inflow to dams to help avoid serious water restrictions next summer. 

"We received only 13 billion litres of water into the dams last winter compared to the usual 100 billion litres.  Despite this, people have been resilient and found ways to each make the small water saving we asked for through 'Target 60' and this will make a real difference overall," he said.

The corporation will now begin the second phase of its 'Target 60' campaign.

"We know the next few months are the hardest time for people to save water so it is vitally important we keep communicating practical water saving advice," the Minister said.