The Schools Water Efficiency Program (SWEP) has hit a significant milestone, with more than half of all Victorian schools now signed up and saving water.
Since the award-winning initiative started in 2012, participating schools have saved more than 11 billion litres of drinking water and in the process saved $37.9 million in water and wastewater charges.
In 2024, SWEP schools saved on average $1,834 on their water bills.
Ballarat High School is Victoria’s top water-saving school, saving 11 million litres of water through the program last year.
Frankston High School 7 – 10 Campus (8.9 million litres), Mernda Central College (8.8 million litres), and Braybrook College and Greensborough Primary School (5.1 million litres each) rounded out the top 5 water-saving schools in 2024.
The program is a key component of the Water for Victoria plan for improving the management of our water resources, including actions to improve water efficiency.
Through SWEP, schools can track their water usage via data-loggers and an online monitoring dashboard.
Staff and students are able to view their school’s water use in near real-time through the interactive SWEP web portal, with the ability to identify water use trends and opportunities to save water.
Every SWEP school is provided with tailored education resources, including classroom lesson plans that incorporate the use of SWEP water data.
These education resources teach students how to save water both at school and in the home and are aligned with the Victorian maths and science curriculum.
Since 2012, the Victorian Government has invested $10.5 million in the program, covering the data loggers and first year of costs for every school that registers.
The program is working towards signing up 100% of government schools by 2030.
Page last updated: 12/06/25