This step by step guide will help you to complete a Water Efficiency Management Plan (WEMP) for your business.

If your business is required to complete a WEMP then you will receive an email from us with a link to your personalised online form.

Want to know more about the Waterwise Business Program and the benefits? Visit the Waterwise Business Program page to learn more and see some great examples from businesses that have improved their water efficiency.

Step 1: business details

This first section is an overview of your business.

Your business name, account number and property address are pre-filled for you.

You will also need to add a description of what your business does similar to the example below:

Water Corporation is the principal supplier of water, wastewater and drainage services in Western Australia to hundreds of thousands of homes, businesses and farms, as well as providing bulk water to farms for irrigation.

Our services, projects and activities span over 2.6 million square km. We have over 3,000 employees and participate in alliances to manage an asset base of over $15 billion in water supply, wastewater, drainage infrastructure and bulk water for irrigation.The business name, account number and property address are pre-filled for you.

Step 2: contact details

In this section you will be asked to confirm your WEMP and management contact details and tell us about your Water Management Team, that is the people who play a critical role in ensuring you achieve your water efficiency goals.

Step 3: water use

5-year water use

This page of the form shows your water use trends over the past 5 years giving you an opportunity to overview your site's water use history.

Try to identify what represents 'business as usual'. If there is significant variance in annual water consumption please describe what has caused this, for example: maintenance shutdowns, refurbishment or expansion.

Water use at your site

In this section you will detail the common water using areas of your site and let us know if you utilise any water sources other than scheme water.

The form has pre-defined options of common water using areas to make it easier to complete. If you are unsure of where water is used a Waterwise Water Auditor can help to assess your site. You can also complete our free water auditing training course and undertake your own site audit. If an audit is not practical, you can use your experience and knowledge to estimate how water is used.

Step 4: benchmarks, targets & action plan

This section tracks your water use performance. Your site's water use benchmark is used to track changes in water efficiency over time and is calculated using your individual measure of business activity. For example:

  • hotels often use 'occupied room nights'
  • a swimming pool might use 'patrons per year'
  • shopping centres may use 'gross lettable area'

If you are unsure about the most appropriate benchmark please contact us.

Businesses that meet or exceed their water efficiency target may be eligible for an award as part of our recognition scheme.

Benchmarks & targets

  • Your water use is pre-populated. You will only need to complete the business activity measure and quantity fields.
  • Your benchmark will calculate automatically.
  • You will need to set a water use reduction target for the following financial year.

Action plan

This is your opportunity to list water efficiency initiatives and their estimated implementation date.

If you are unsure which water saving opportunities are relevant to your site a Waterwise Water Auditor may be able to assist.

The action plan has 4 time frames:

  • Up to 12 months: actions that can be completed immediately or has a payback period within 12 months
  • 1-5 years: an action that will take more than 12 months to implement or has a much longer payback period
  • Ongoing: actions that become 'business as usual' and do not have a particular end date
  • Future opportunity: these are actions that are part of your 'wish list' and not currently planned for completion or are out of consideration due to funding

You will also need to estimate the cost to implement each water efficiency initiative and indicate the potential water savings of each.

If you wish to save your draft report and share with team members for review, click save and we will send you a link to your draft report.

Step 5: submission

The submission page allows you to review all of the information you have entered in the form before you submit it for review. Once submitted we will review your WEMP in 15 business days and contact you if we require further details.