Power and Water Corporation has launched an innovative project which aims to save 120 million litres of water annually in Darwin using information from rooftop weather stations installed at almost 40 schools.

The network of weather stations, known as the Weather Web, will allow users to access live, suburb-specific information including rainfall, temperature, wind and humidity which will enable them to make smarter decisions on how much to water their garden.

The initiative, thought to be the first of its kind in the country, was developed by Power and Water’s Living Water Smart program.

“The water savings across the community will have a significant impact on our water supply levels. Almost 60 per cent of water use in the Darwin region is in the garden and most people overwater,” Living Water Smart program manager Jethro Laidlaw said.

“Water savings are also great for school budgets as they could save a significant amount of money.

“We’ve also worked with the Northern Territory Government to produce new lesson plans which emphasise science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), which we’re really proud of.”

Residents can also benefit from the Weather Web during the wet season by keeping track of how much water their gardens have received from the rainfall in their suburb, via an online portal.

“We recommend Darwin gardens need 30mm of water per week,” Mr Laidlaw said.

“The Weather Web will tell residents how much rain their suburb has received so they can turn the irrigation off manually or if they have a smart irrigation controller it will adjust automatically.”

The Weather Web program has been shortlisted for the Australian Water Association’s Northern Territory Water Awards 2019 in the ‘Program Innovation Award’ category.

The NT Water Awards will be presented at the Water in the Bush 30 Year Celebration Dinner on 17 October.

More information about Weather Web is available at www.livingwatersmart.com.au/theweatherweb

For more information, read the media release from Minister for Renewables, Energy and Essential Services in the Northern Territory Government Newsroom.

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