Find out about a how some people are getting around water restrictions by putting in their own rainwater tanks.


PIP COURTNEY: The rainwater tank is a common sight in the bush. Comforting too, with three million rural Australians relying on them for drinking water.

If you're under forty and live in a city, then you probably don't realise that the water tank was once just as common in urban areas.

PROFESSOR TOR HUNDLOE, UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND: I was a kid in Brisbane, grew up in Brisbane. We had an old water tank. We drank the water, mum did the washing, cooked with it, every damn thing. It's wonderful, and every other house had a tank.

PIP COURTNEY: In the 60s, though, the tanks became less important as treated mains water became the norm.

Some councils banned tanks, others didn't need to - they just became unfashionable.

The main reason was health.

BARRY DENNIEN, BRISBANE WATER: I think it was that issue and I think it was the issue that the water supply came through and it there it was and it was convenient and I never had to worry about my shower length again and washing clothes, so they became a bit out of fashion.

PIP COURTNEY: Well, now the tank, which virtually disappeared from the urban landscape, is back.

In a bid to take pressure off urban water supplies, Australia's big cities are encouraging its ratepayers to hook one up, and catch rain.

PROFESSOR GEORGE KUCZERA, UNIVERSITY OF NEWCASTLE: The whole idea here is to try to make a big dent in the growth in mains water consumption, so we can at least stop the need to be building new dams and new major bits of mains water infrastructure.

PROFESSOR TOR HUNDLOE: Water falling on a city is basically wasted. It falls on impervious surfaces, roofs, roads, runs off rapidly, in the case of Brisbane into Moreton Bay.

It's wasted. This is the fresh clean water of which there is only one per cent of all the water in the world which we human beings can use. Why waste it?"

PIP COURTNEY: In Brisbane, a city of 1.7 million, the council's trying $500 rebates to increase installation rates.

COUNCILLOR HELEN ABRAHAMS, BRISBANE CITY COUNCIL: We've had the rebate in place now for almost two years. In the first year we had a target of 1,000 water tanks and we met that. At the last time, it was over 1,500 rainwater tanks.

COUNCILLOR HELEN ABRAHAMS: We're not sure whether it will delay the multi-million water infrastructure.

We certainly, though, know it means we're using water as it should be used. So the water we treat so we can drink it, we actually use it for drinking.

The water we don't have to treat that way - for washing our toilets for laundry and our gardens - we should use it appropriately.

PIP COURTNEY: At the moment councils don't know how much of a difference water tanks make.

Brisbane is running two trials of 30 tanks each to quantify the water savings.

BARRY DENNIEN: We've had a wet period where since they have been installed. We have had a lot of rain and they have had quite an impact, but I think it will take a while to actually assess that and take into account all the issues involved..

PIP COURTNEY: How long do you think it will be before you can drive around Brisbane and there are more houses with tanks than without?

BRISBANE LORD MAYOR CAMPBELL NEWMAN: Gee, that's a good one. I'm really not sure at all. There are 394,000 rateable properties in this city.

That's a lot of water tanks. I think it'll take a while to do it.