From saving millions of litres of water to designing floating solar panels and water-saving web apps, young Territorians are proving it’s never too early to bring great ideas to life.

This week, during National Water Week, Power and Water held its 11th annual That's My Water! Expo, bringing together students, teachers and industry professionals to showcase the students’ creative solutions to water challenges.

That’s My Water! is Power and Water’s schools program, which sees students work alongside the organisation’s STEM professionals to learn about where our water comes from and how we can protect it.

The Expo follows the success of practical leak detection activities undertaken with schools last season that saved an estimated 22.5 million litres of water across three schools, equating to almost $55,000 in savings. After working with Power and Water to install a water data logger, one school alone found and repaired two leaks, leading to an estimated saving of $25,000.

This year, around 1,100 students from 9 schools across Greater Darwin participated in That’s My Water!. Among the innovative ideas on display at the Expo were student-designed web applications to help households save water in their gardens, floating solar panels that could generate renewable energy while reducing evaporation at Darwin River Dam, and Minecraft-style models exploring how future off-stream storage could help secure water supply.

Power and Water's Water Education Specialist, Katie Grimshaw, said the Expo was a reminder that some of the most creative solutions can come from the youngest minds.

‘These students are showing us you're never too young to make a difference,’ Ms Grimshaw said. ‘They are our future engineers, scientists and problem-solvers. Seeing them come up with ideas that challenge how we think about water today gives us plenty of confidence in the next generation.

'One of the things we really want students to take away is that every drop counts, but also that there's a whole lot of science, engineering and innovation involved in delivering safe, reliable water.'

That’s My Water! has continued to evolve in 2026, with the introduction of an immersive virtual reality experience taking students on a journey through Darwin's water supply network, as well as the program expanding into Alice Springs.

Delivered in partnership with the Northern Territory Department of Education, That's My Water! forms part of Power and Water's ongoing commitment to water education and demand management, supported through its Living Water Smart initiative.

To find out more, visit https://www.powerwater.com.au/about/community/thats-my-water or https://www.livingwatersmart.com.au/

Media contact: 0401 117 599 / media@powerwater.com.au