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Every Drop Counts in Schools Program

What is the Every Drop Counts in Schools Program?

The Every Drop Counts (EDC) in Schools Program supports schools across Sydney, the Illawarra and the Blue Mountains by teaching them to value water and to develop water wise practices.

Schools in Sydney Water's area of operations use about 7,790 million litres of water a year, which is six per cent of all non-residential water use. The EDC in Schools Program helps these schools become water efficient.

How can your school benefit from the program?

Get free educational
resources from
Sydney Water's
website

1. Access our website for free curriculum linked resources which can help create water awareness and school water efficiency.

The resources include:

  • lesson plans
  • student worksheets
  • fact sheets such as reading water meters, monitoring water use, rainwater tank rebates or finding leaks
  • templates such as water action plans, school water audits or stormwater audits
  • games for children to learn about water efficiency.



Contact Sydney
Water for free
educational
resources

There are also free resources for schools and community groups in Sydney Water's area of operations. They include:

View the range of education resources (PDF - 1715KB) available or call 1800 724 650 for more information.

Find out more about water wise rebates and offers.


2. Sign up to the EDC in Schools Program

Each year, Sydney Water signs up 40 schools to the program. These schools are high water using schools and/or schools that have made water efficiency a priority.

This program involves:

The smart meter's
online monitoring
system tracks your
school's water use.
  • Sydney Water installing a smart water meter which is an online monitoring system to track school water use and find leaks
    Find out more about smart meter monitoring
    Play video (WMV - 5557KB)
  • a dedicated education officer to support the program in your school and to provide advice on water auditing and developing a water efficiency action plan
  • a one-day professional development training course for teachers
  • advice on relevant funding and incentives
  • regular reports on how much water the school has saved.

    • In one year, schools in the program reduced their total water use by 32,471 kilolitres. This is a saving of about $175,000 a year for schools and a saving of 35 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.

    Find out more about the EDC in Schools Program:

         Play video (WMV - 6089KB)


    There are currently 80 schools in the program. View case studies for some of these schools and find out how EDC in Schools has helped improve their water efficiency.


    3. Accessing Every Drop Counts Online

    All schools can access their water use information using Sydney Water's EDC Online service. Schools should contact Sydney Water to receive a user name and password. They can then login to EDC Online. This information can be used to create spreadsheets and graphs. An online tutorial explains how to use the service.

    For schools signed up to the EDC in Schools Program, the database also tracks your involvement in the program such as training completed, workshops attended or participation in events or programs. You can also view your school's report cards, water efficiency action plans and memorandum of understanding .

    How to get involved with Every Drop Counts

    Find out how to access EDC Online or join the EDC in Schools Program.


    Learn about water: Definitions