Building standards
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The Monash Design and Construction Standards include a number of requirements to reduce potable water use including efficient fixtures and fittings, drought-tolerate landscapes, and prioritising non-potable water options were possible. The Monash ECO ACCORD is a set of environmental design aspirations that all projects are required to target and includes a number of potable water minimisation requirements.
Potable water consumption
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In 2021 our water usage continued to reduced due to ongoing COVID lockdowns. We used 414,203 kilolitres (KL) of potable water or 6.27 KL/person. Based on 2019 data our water usage per person has reduced by 10 percent per person. As our stormwater harvesting increasing our potable water will continue to decline. The continued reduced staff and student load on campus due to COVID-19 restrictions resulted in a significant reduction in water use across most campuses.
Stormwater pollution
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The Grounds and Landscaping requirements of the Monash Design and Construction Standards places controls to ensure all construction activities are carried out in accordance with best practice guidelines issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Victoria, and Melbourne Water to minimise risk of stormwater pollution, from contaminated runoff of chemicals, sediments, or other associated construction refuse.
Water sensitive urban design
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Monash University campuses are preparing for water scarcity and flash flooding events as the campuses grow and develop. Our campuses are reducing their water demand and capturing stormwater to use as a water source to reduce the reliance on potable water. Our landscapes employ Water Sensitive Urban Design practices at a strategic scale to ensure that the campuses are purifying our water resources on campus, reducing peak damaging peak flow and maximising efficiency of our water harvesting systems and infiltration into our landscapes while also reinvigorating and reinstating natural waterway habitats. View our recent landscape projects.