Power and Water is calling on every member of the Darwin community to treat every drop of water as a precious shared asset.
By the end of the wet season the dam had only reached 90 per cent capacity, meaning we moved into the dry behind where we hoped we would be, with no guarantee of what the next wet will bring.
While it is Power and Water’s role to collect, store, treat and deliver the water, it belongs to all of us. Everyone has a role to play every day in staving off the need for water restrictions to be imposed on the community.
Jethro Laidlaw, Manager Water Demand at Power and Water says 60 per cent of our water is used outdoors on irrigation, gardening, pools, ponds and around homes on tasks such as hosing off pavers and washing cars.
“We need to change our mindset when it comes to how we use water,” Jethro said. “It isn’t just about limiting our water use, it’s about being smarter when we do.
“We need to think about washing our cars on our lawns, so the water doesn’t just run down the drive and out into the street to the stormwater drains.”
“This is just one of many ways we can be smarter. Power and Water’s Living Water Smart website has practical advice on how we all can do better,” he said. “For example, Power and Water customers with a programmable irrigation system can make use of our free garden irrigation audit or ‘Garden Tune Up’ as we call it, which includes up to $50 of on-the-spot repairs.”
“Those living in Darwin’s rural areas who use groundwater also need to be acutely aware of their water use. The water we have available to us is not infinite. Just because the bore turns on and water comes out, doesn’t mean it’s there in plentiful supply.” Jethro continued.
“We saw over the last couple of dry seasons where the aquifers in the rural area were at critical levels.”
