COLIBAN Water will target small and medium sized businesses in the coming weeks to lower their water use.

The water authority will begin a campaign in the coming weeks aimed at smaller industry and commercial businesses to get them thinking about water.

Acting chief executive Neil Burns said Bendigo big business had done its bit and it was time to look at the next level down.

“In the past five years industry has taken great steps to reduce their demand,” he said.

“While residents are under formal restrictions and industry isn’t, industry almost has a self imposed approach to reducing their water usage.

“Their demand and the normal household demand has probably gone down to the same level.

“The next level of industry we will have to work with is that middle level. It’s not the big ones, its the medium-sized ones like pubs.”
Coliban is working with industry and community members to work up a strategy. Mr Burns said the campaign will target inside water use.

“It’s one of those intuitive things about where we have to look,” he said.

“Most places like that tend to be inside four walls. It is the bathroom use, toilet use, washing, cooking, those sorts of things.”

Coliban Water will also up the ante in its campaign to keep water use inside the house to 150 litres per person.

Shopping centre displays will point out ways people can save water, after a December of greater-than-expected water use.

“It will concentrate on those little things people can do inside the home that aren’t very expensive and can make a big difference,” a Coliban Water spokesperson said.