The Water Wally Story

Have you heard the saying “there’s no planet ‘B’?” Well, at its core, Water Wally is all about making a positive contribution to the one and only planet we have (aka planet ‘A’).

What we do to make this contribution is varied and wide-reaching. Focusing on our area of expertise in sustainable wastewater management, we work with clients from your home gardener through to your mining corporates.

From backyards to BHP (mining company), our unique set of skills, knowledge and products are helping people all over Australia (and the world) become more aware of the huge range of positive outcomes that can be achieved with sustainable wastewater management.

If you were to describe what Water Wally is all about in one word, it’s hard to say what that word would be but it might be one of these:

Education, sustainability, environment, composting toilets, greywater, septic systems, wastewater, off-grid living, etc. etc. Take your pick!

Our Mission

We’re here to simplify things. To educate people to enable sustainable wastewater management. We’re here to facilitate discussion around solutions that allow individuals and organisations to take care of their wastewater in a safe, hygienic and environmentally responsible way.

Often the simplest and least expensive solutions are also the most practical and sustainable ones.

So, why the name?

The original landscaping business was called the Garden Goon. As it grew into water conservation systems, it evolved into Water Wally. Pretty obvious right?

Meet our frog, Wally

Frogs have long been a symbol of a healthy environment. When the water dries up or it gets contaminated, the frogs die and disappear, sometimes forever. Frogs in our waterways are our canary in the coalmine.

Our Brandmark

Our Brandmark represents our values in a sustainable environment and approach focusing on water conservation & the environment.

Anthony Smith
– our original Wally

The story of Water Wally began with our founder and director, Anthony (Smitho) Smith. After finishing a degree in Environmental Engineering, he travelled around Australia, often working and living on remote self-sufficient properties. He saw first-hand how living off-grid was an exercise in survival, and how water conservation was essential to this. Things like waterless toilets and reusing greywater played vital roles.

A passion for the environment and water conservation led him to start a landscaping business, specialising in waterwise gardening. Not surprisingly, smarter gardening practices led him back full circle to saving and recycling water by incorporating greywater irrigation and compost creating waterless toilets.

When he’s not out in far-flung remote locations, you’ll find Anthony
in Margaret River, where he often gives regular educational presentations to local and government organisations, outlining the applications and benefits of using waterless composting toilets and greywater systems.

FAQ's

Is Anthony (Smitho) available to speak/present at our event, workshop or course?

Yep. It’s one of the things we do best! Positive change can only happen when people are on board. The more people we can reach to explain how simple it can be to make use of waste/wastewater as a resource the better. Anthony frequently travels to locations all across Australia to share his passion and knowledge for all things water conservation and sustainable wastewater management. Please feel free to get in touch to discuss what you’ve got in mind.

Can you help with local government approvals?

Yep. This is one that we get asked a lot and we find it’s one area that we can bring good value to people. Having a solid understanding of the Australian Standards for onsite wastewater management, an appreciation for the variances in state government regulations and a heap of experience working with state and local government regulators, it’s safe to say that this can often be a complex thing to navigate. Over the past 10 years, we’ve helped hundreds of homeowners and businesses get approvals for ‘out of the box’ wastewater management systems. It’s unfortunate that this can be such a tricky thing to navigate but the truth of the matter is that it very often is. If you’ve got a situation that you’re having a bit of trouble with or if you just want to put your ducks in a row before proceeding with an application, we’re here to help. Either get in touch to let us know about your situation or book a 30-minute consult to get yourself moving on the right path.

Can you provide a complete wastewater management solution for my property/project?

Yep. We can and have done so for many clients previously. It can start with a phone conversation or an email. If you let us know what you’ve got happening and what you’re trying to achieve, we can pretty much take it from there. Either that or we can work alongside you and move towards your property/project goal together. We can do site visits, soil reports, consultation, project management, product/system supply, installations and maintenance. If you’re wondering about the best way to approach wastewater management – get in touch and we’ll sort you out!

What's the best composting toilet for me?

Good question! You may have done a little bit of research to find that there are heaps of different composting toilets on the market.

Big ones, little ones,

Cheap ones and pricey ones.

Tall ones, short ones,

And fully automated ones.

Aussie ones, imported ones,

Simple or rotating ones.

You’ve got Nature Loos, Green Loos,

Bamboo Loos and Rota Loos.

Which one is best for you? They’re all different and they all have different applications and pros and cons.

Some of them we sell in our product range and some of them we don’t (for various reasons).

Flick us a quick email via our contact form, let us know a bit about what you’re trying to achieve and we’ll point you in the right direction.

If you need a bit more of an in-depth conversation and want to really know your options including homemade DIY types of setups, you can book a 30-minute consult.

What is greywater and how do I manage it?

You’d think this one would have a pretty straightforward answer and it sort of does but sort of doesn’t (makes heaps of sense hey?).

In short, greywater can be put into one of three categories.

  1. Greywater reuse – reusing greywater for uses such as garden irrigation
  2. Greywater treatment – treating greywater via processes (natural or mechanical) which improve the quality of the water
  3. Greywater disposal – ‘disposing’ of greywater into the soil via some form of absorption or other application method. You can download a free guideline design of a greywwater disposal system that meets the Australian Standards here: Grey 2 Green

Which one of these fits your situation or suits your needs will vary depending on what it is you’ve got to work with and what it is you’re trying to achieve.

If you’ve got questions about your situation or want to know what type of greywater setup will suit your needs, please feel free to drop us an inquiry via our contact form or book a 30-minute consultation.

Have you ever met Costa from Gardening Australia?

Ok – so this isn’t really a very frequently asked question but… the answer is yeah. I have met him, I am inspired by the quality of his beard and think he’s a total legend. The next time I meet with him (which I’m sure will happen one day!) I’ll take a photo and put it here.

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