The audit examined whether the state’s Department of Planning, Industry and Environment and Metropolitan Water Plan and that Sydney Water was also failing to meet the water conservation requirements of its operating licence.
The office said there had been little effort to find new water-saving initiatives or options for funding them.
As well as finding governance around water conservation was weak, the auditor concluded:
The department had not undertaken any detailed analysis of water conservation options since 2013.
The department had no documented strategy for water saving for greater Sydney, despite this being a requirement of the Metropolitan Water Plan.
Funding for water conservation had been cut since 2012.
Sydney Water should have developed a water conservation program in September 2017. It did not do this.
Sydney Water’s lack of planning meant it was slow to respond to the drought.
Investment in water conservation measures should have been increased when dam levels began to drop in 2017. Instead, extra funding did not start until May 2019 when the drought was showing serious effects across the state.
The department has made no progress in removing regulatory barriers to water recycling and water harvesting.
The report makes several recommendations, including that the department develop clear policies on water efficiency, reuse and recycling, that Sydney Water develop a five-year plan for water conservation and that the government improve funding for water conservation, including through the state’s climate change fund.
A spokeswoman for the department said the report had identified what the department needed to do better and it would be implementing the recommendations.
She said before the report was finalised, the department recruited a chief executive with a track record in improving the efficiency of water systems.
“We are changing the way we work across the sector so we can ensure we deliver on the recommendations, including working with Sydney Water and Water NSW in the development of a new Greater Sydney Water Strategy,” she said.
She said the strategy would include a greater focus on water conservation and a range of measures to improve Sydney’s water security. The reduction in water use by consumers during the recent drought, combined with recent rainfall, meant the outlook for water supply was now more positive.
Sydney’s water storage is currently above 80%.
A spokesman for Sydney Water said the organisation acknowledged it needed to improve.
“We have already made very significant achievements in water conservation and will continue to work collaboratively with the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment on further water sector improvements including the development of the Greater Sydney Water Strategy,” he said.
“As an example, despite a 26% increase in population, we have seen the total consumption of drinking water decrease to its lowest since mandatory restrictions were introduced 17 years ago.”