The Lower Hunter are using less water now than it did during the Great Depression, new figures from Hunter Water show.
The average resident now uses roughly 65,000 litres of water per annum, compared to 66,000 litres in 1930.Hunter Water has put the drop down to their Water Wise Rules, which has seen the average water usage fall by 5,000 litres since 2014.
The Rules see residents asked to have a trigger nozzle attached to their hose, as well as asking them not to water their grass between 10am and 4pm.
Those who are found to have repeatedly broken the rules face a fine of up to $220.
Nick Kaiser from Hunter Water says today's Hunter residents are also more knowledgeable about water saving than they were in the 1980s.
"It was in the 1980s that you started getting those 'every drop counts' campaigns," he says.
"But also what was important in the 1980s is that there was a new tariff system."
The new system made each resident pay different amounts for their water, depending on how much they used.
"People tend to use less when they have to pay for it," he says.
The Hunter saw its largest water usage in 1980 when it was recorded that each person was using more than 244,000 litres per year.
Nick Kaiser has put the spike down to drought conditions.
"People were using more to keep their lawns and gardens alive," he says.
"That tends to be one of the largest contributing factors to how much water people would use in a year
"Also since the 1980s, we've got more high-density living, people have smaller yards and are more inclined to live in apartments."
