WHY campaign – Microsite
NB. All 12 ‘stories’ start with a question in the title. This assumes* that whenever one of the 12 ‘stories’ is
shared on social media, this question will appear in the post to encourage conversation and engagement by the
public. (*need to check with Captovate)
Living Water Smart – how is it part of
Darwin’s future?
How will an increased population
impact on Darwin’s water use?
How does our water use compare
with other cities?
Darwin. What do you love about it? It
might be our outdoor living, swimming
in the pool, lush tropical gardens,
awesome events, art and culture,
fishing, or the long awaited monsoons.
Whatever it is, water is usually at the
centre of it.
More and more people are choosing to
live, work and invest in Darwin. This
increasing population means increases
in our water use.
In Darwin we use more than twice the
water per person than places with
similar climates like Cairns and
Townsville. Cairns has a higher rainfall
and larger population, but its water
use per person is less than 60% of
Darwin’s.
More and more people are attracted
to the Darwin region for its great
lifestyle. Ask any local and they would
likely say they want to protect this
unique lifestyle into the future. Living
water smart is part of that future. And
the best bit is that we can be water
smart without sacrificing our lifestyle.
As Darwin becomes smarter with its
water use this will ensure sustainable
development and our place as a strong
city with an enhanced reputation. We
can keep our water bills down, help
save our precious resource, and will
proudly claim to be a water efficient
city.
Between 1950-2000 we saw a ten-fold
increase in our population, which saw
major developments and extensions to
the water supply system. In the last 15
years our population has increased by
XX% (or just ‘dramatically’) and Darwin
is getting to the stage where our water
supply cannot keep up with demand in
both our growth and how much we
use per person.
Darwinites are used to high levels of
water usage but with our growing
population this cannot continue. Our
current rate of water consumption is
not sustainable.
Cairns and Townsville have worked
with authorities to reduce water
consumption, whilst in Darwin the
amount of water we use is continuing
to grow faster than the population is
growing.
Fast Facts: More than half the water
consumed in Darwin is in homes,
followed by the non-residential
commercial and government sectors.
About 75% of our household water use
is outdoors, with most being used in
the garden.
Where does Darwin’s water come from?
Do you know where Darwin’s water comes
from? You are not alone if you don’t –
almost one quarter of Darwin residents are
not aware*. It’s probably something you
don’t think about much.
Most of our water (85%) comes from
Darwin River Dam about 50km from the
Darwin CBD, with the rest from borefields
about 30km from Darwin. It then travels to
an elevated tank in your area and to your
home.
Darwin River Dam was constructed in
1972. In 2010, Power and Water raised the
spillway and upgraded the embankment to
increase the full supply level by 1.3 metres,
increasing the water yield by 20%. A
growing population means that we need to
continually monitor and plan for future
water source options.
Learn more about how your water gets to
your tap, and Darwin’s water history. (link
http://www.livingwatersmart.com.au/whysave-water/source-tap
*2013 Power and Water survey of Darwin region
residents using mains water.
Does Darwin have an unlimited
water supply?
Most people in the Darwin region
(73%) believe that Darwin has a
unlimited water supply*. This is a
myth.
Yes, there is plenty of water when
it rains in the wet season, but only
a small portion of it actually falls in
the dam.
The Darwin River Dam catchment
only covers about 7% of the whole
Darwin Harbour catchment.
Mark – can you explain how our
total rainfall compares to what is
captured in the dam???
*2013 Power and Water survey of Darwin
region residents using mains water.
How much water evaporates from
Darwin River Dam?
More than two thirds of the water
stored in Darwin River Dam
evaporates throughout the year.
Climate change will affect weather
elements in Darwin, including
temperature, rates of evaporation and
rainfall. Power and Water take this
into account when planning for
Darwin’s future water sources.
Darwin River Dam has an average
depth of just 8 metres. With climate
change, both the demand for water
and evaporation levels are highly
likely to increase, placing further
demand on this shallow water body
and leading to a reduction in the
water available in future years.
Does Darwin’s varying rainfall impact
on our water supply?
The Darwin region enjoys significant
amounts of rain in the wet season,
however we are also subject to climatic
and rainfall variability just like anywhere
else in Australia. The rainfall variability
strongly affects water security in the
Darwin region.
As an example, in 2010-11 and 2011-12,
we experienced two years with above
average rainfall in the Darwin region, but
in the 2012-13 wet season brought
below average rainfall (where the
Darwin River Dam did not ‘fill and spill’).
For 12 years, between 1984 and 1996
the Darwin region experienced a
significant series of poor wet seasons,
equivalent to drought conditions.
As annual water use in the Darwin
region continues to rise, and if a period
of poor wet seasons return, water levels
in Darwin River Dam could fall to levels
not previously experienced.
What are the impacts of Darwin’s
long dry season on water use?
We all love the dry season in the
Darwin region! It’s when we are out
and about enjoying balmy days and
we are spoilt for choice with all the
events and social activities on offer.
The amount of water we use is highly
weather dependant in the Darwin
region. If we have an extended wet
season we use less water, but an
extended dry season means our
water use significantly increases.
Growth in annual water demand in
the last 15 years continues to put
pressure on our water supply. If we
have a series of extended dry
seasons our water supply we could
reach the limits of our current
capacity.
Will Darwin need a new water
source?
There are a number of potential
sources of water that could be used to
augment the Darwin region’s water
supply in the medium and long term.
But all of them will be extremely
costly and in the end we’ll all have to
pay for this through increased water
tariffs and bills.
Power and Water is looking at many
different options to see how viable
they are. Options include building a
new dam, modifying the current dam
so it holds more, off-stream storage
and the potential use of desalination.
Instead, it makes better sense to be
more efficient with our water use
before we go down the path of
developing other sources that would
cost millions or billions of dollars.
Will the Darwin region need water
restrictions?
Darwin is the only capital city in
Australia that has never experienced
water restrictions. That could account
for one of many reasons why we still
continue to use so much.
Let’s face it. None of us want water
restrictions, however should we have
the ‘perfect storm’ of a series of wet
seasons with below average rainfall,
continual increases in our personal
water use, increases in population and
ongoing water wastage, water
restrictions may be a necessity.
Power and Water have an existing four
stage water restriction policy which is
triggered by falling water levels in the
Darwin River Dam. Living Water Smart
is about helping the Darwin region
reduce water use so we don’t have to
get to that point.
What is the best option for Darwin to
extend its water supply?
What are the benefits of saving water
in the Darwin region?
The Darwin region is now at a point
where more water is required to keep
up with the growing demand.
Where does Darwin fit in the national
conscience and what does our future
look like?
The best, cheapest and easiest option
to avoid costly new infrastructure to
increase our water supply, is to reduce
our use of the precious resource. Put
simply, this means being more efficient
with what we have.
It’s a question that many people get
passionate about. Is Darwin still a
frontier town or are we becoming a
major player in the national and
international stage? Maybe we are
both.
If we don’t save water, the
consequences for residents include
potential water restrictions and high
tariffs and taxes to pay for new
infrastructure.
Regardless, Darwin is growing quickly
and is fast becoming an industry and
education hub. As the North develops,
we need to manage our water use
better to allow for our growth.
It is easy to live water smart without
changing or sacrificing your existing
lifestyle – if you know how. Living
Water Smart is here to help with that.
As Darwin becomes smarter with its
water use this will ensure sustainable
development and our place as a
strong city with an enhanced
reputation both nationally and
internationally. We can keep our
water bills down, help save our
precious water resource, and can
proudly claim to be a water smart city.
Living Water Smart is part of Darwin’s
future.
Find out what is available through
Living Water Smart (link to ‘What’s
available’ page on website)