With school holidays and lots of visitors in town, water use in Katherine has started to rise. Historically when temperatures go up towards the end of the dry season, water use also increases.
Chris Horton, Power and Water’s area manager Katherine Region, reminds us that this is the time of year when we need everyone to be extra mindful of our water use to help keep reliance on the use of bore water to 10%. This is the maximum amount that can be treated each day to remove PFAS.

“To help with this, Power and Water will provide weekly updates on Katherine’s water consumption so local residents can see how they are tracking,” Mr Horton said.

“The water use indicator will show average daily water consumption for the week and indicate if it is at a good level, if caution is required or if water use is reaching the high buffer level under maximum supply. The ideal water consumption level per day is less than 8.5 million litres.”

“Last week, water consumption was at 9.6 million litres per day – requiring caution for users and a need to carefully consider water use and adherence to the Compulsory Water Conservation Measures in place.”

“Katherine residents continue to do a great job in keeping water use well below the historical average and we thank you for your ongoing commitment to helping us manage the town’s water supply, however we need to exercise caution,” Mr Horton said.

Leak checking and fixing continues with 174 leaks fixed this year saving some 18.7 million litres per year. Higher using government and commercial sites have been working with the Living Water Smart program to reduce their water use.

Power and Water launched its Living Water Smart Garden Tune Up program recently, which provides a free garden irrigation audit. The Garden Tune Ups are delivered by local irrigation experts and are focused on giving gardens the water they need when they need it, offering water efficient gardening advice and also include up to $50 quick on-the-spot irrigation repairs. Find a list of expert local Garden Tune Up suppliers here.

“It’s important that the whole community is mindful of its water use to ensure safe supply by following the Compulsory Water Conservation Measures and taking advantage of the great water saving programs currently being offered, ” Mr Horton said.

Weekly water use indicator (for week ending 30/7/18):

This water use indicator will be published on Power and Water’s website as well as via the Katherine Times.

Contact: Media team

Phone: 0401 117 599