World Water Day 2010

19 Mar 2010

Top Enders use double the water most Australians do and most of it is used to keep thirsty plants lush through the Dry Season.

We need to consider our habits carefully to protect this resource for the future, Power and Water General Manager Water Services Paul Heaton says.

“The Top End’s annual drenching of rain can lull us into thinking that Darwin River Dam is bottomless,” Mr Heaton said.

“But with a rapidly growing population, long dry months, high evaporation and high water use, Darwin faces some tough decisions about how we value water, how efficiently we use it, what we are prepared to pay for it and where we will find future supplies.”

About 90 per cent of the water Top Enders drink, use on their gardens and shower with comes from Darwin River Dam. The remainder is from McMinns and Howard East borefields.

Power and Water is raising the spillway at Darwin River Dam this Dry Season, which will increase the capacity by about 20 per cent.

However, this yield will only be realised if there is enough rain to fill the dam next Wet Season.

“One of the biggest issues we face here in the dry tropics is evaporation,” Mr Heaton said.

“Darwin River Dam is broad but shallow – it has an average depth of eight metres and evaporation lowers that by 1.8 metres every Dry Season.

While the dam typically receives more than 1000 mm of rain in the Wet Season, for nine months of the year the evaporation is much greater than rainfall.

You can save water by:

• Using a bucket rather than running the hose while you wash your car
• Fixing leaking taps and sprinklers
• Getting advice from your nursery and selecting plants that don’t need excessive water
• Running your dishwasher and washing machine only when full
• Sweeping, rather than hosing down, outdoor areas.