Watering exemptions for businesses

If you’re currently managing or planning to establish a community garden, you can apply for a watering exemption.

You can apply for an exemption to change your designated watering days. When applying, you must show us why you need to change your days after having considered all other options.

This exemption allows you to water before 9am or after 6pm on the selected days.

When operating irrigation systems for these purposes, you can water for the minimum extent necessary. This means:

• limiting testing to a maximum of 2 minutes per station
• clearly displaying an 'authorised sprinkler testing in progress' sign.

You can water up to 10mm once the area has been vacated.

You can water using efficient irrigation practices. For example, for many glasshouse plants, the use of a mist spray for up to 1 minute 4 times a day is satisfactory.

If you install or maintain a commercial vertical garden wall (also known as a green wall), you can apply for a watering exemption.

How to apply

Email the Water Efficiency Partnerships team with the subject line 'Vertical garden exemption request' and include your property address and account number.

In your email please include the following information:

• Company name
• Name and contact details of person overseeing the request. Please include email address, mobile number and preferred contact number (if different to mobile).
• Address and location of installed garden

To be considered for an exemption, the following conditions apply:

• The exemption applies only to the use of scheme water for the purposes of watering plants in the vertical garden.
• Only applicable for vertical gardens in the Perth and Peel region. Regional applications will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
• You must follow industry best practice guidelines for construction and management of vertical gardens.
• Each vertical garden must be metered and water use must be monitored and recorded.
• The irrigation system watering the garden may operate a maximum of three times per day. The total amount of water applied weekly must not exceed 20mm per square metre.
• We will conduct random audits of the water use for the vertical garden to ensure it complies with the conditions.

We will review your request and get back to you within 5-10 working days.

In towns south of (and including) Kalbarri and Kalgoorlie, you can water using an irrigation system for 1 extra day per week on top of your rostered watering day/s.

If you have an aviary you can put your sprinklers on and use the minimum amount of water necessary to maintain your birds.

You can water to the minimum extent necessary to ensure the viable operation of the market garden or plant nursery.

You can water for 10 minutes before any sporting activities begin.

If you work in the turf, garden and landscaping industry, you can apply 10mm of water immediately after the application of fertiliser, wetting agents or vertimowing.

This exemption is not available to general customers who are expected to carry out these activities and watering on their allocated day and within the allowed times.

You can use water as required for fire fighting or training for fire fighting.

All commercial and industrial properties are exempt if the water is required for operational purposes. This exemption doesn't cover watering of lawns and/or gardens at these properties.