Tough new water limits.

Melburnians will be asked to limit water use to 155 litres a day per person under new water-saving measures announced this morning by Premier John Brumby and Water Minister Tim Holding.

The personal limits are lower than the current average daily use of 165 litres a person, but mean Melburnians will avoid the tougher stage 4 restrictions under which all outdoor watering would be banned.

The targets will be voluntary at this stage but the Government warns they could become mandatory or that tougher stage 4 restrictions may need to be introduced if the new Target 155 campaign doesn't achieve the desired savings.

The average Melburnian currently uses about 180 litres a day in summer, and 165 litres a day averaged across the year.

Premier John Brumby said Target 155 would allow Melburnians more choices about how they used water than if stage 4 restrictions were imposed.

"We need a diverse range of solutions to meet our water challenges, including non-rainfall-dependent sources of water and ongoing water conservation," he said.

Melbourne's water storages are at 33.3 per cent capacity, well down on the figure of 40.2 per cent at this time last year.

The weekend rain produced an average of 75 millimetres of rain in the Melbourne catchments, but the record dry conditions over spring meant the amount of run-off into reservoirs was limited.

Monitoring of the new Target 155 campaign will start on December 1, with the Government and the water authorities reporting progress weekly.

Reaching the target could be as simple as reducing the length of your shower from seven minutes to four minutes, which saves about 42 litres.

A family of four doing one less load of washing a week saves about five litres per person, and installing water-efficient shower heads, which are available free from most water retailers, can save about 20 litres per person.

For more tips on how to cut water use, visit www.target155.vic.gov.au

Source: The Age, Paul Austin, November 24, 2008