Australian Water Use

From the Australian Bureau of Stats (full details in Water Account, Australia)

• During 2004-05, 79,784 GL of water was extracted from the environment and used within the Australia economy. Of this amount, 11,337 GL was extracted by water providers, while water users directly extracted 68,447 GL.
• Of the total volume extracted from the environment (79,784 GL), 62,445 GL was returned to the environment as regulated discharge, with 60,436 GL of this discharge being in-stream use, almost entirely by the electricity and gas supply industry (59,924 GL) for hydro-electric power generation.
• In 2004-05, there were 413 water providers in Australia, supplying 11,337 GL of distributed water. This compares to 479 providers and 12,934 GL in 2000-01.
• Water consumption was 18,767 GL in 2004-05, a decrease of 14% from 2000-01 when it was 21,703 GL.
• The agriculture industry consumed the largest volume of water with 12,191 GL, representing 65% of water consumption in Australia in 2004-05. This is a decrease from 2000-01 when it was 14,989 GL and 69% of water consumption.
• Water consumption by Households was 2,108 GL in 2004-05, accounting for 11% of water consumption in Australia. This compares with 2,278 GL in 2000-01 when it accounted for 10% of water consumption.
• In 2004-05, Australia's large dams had a capacity of 83,853 GL. They contained 39,959 GL of water at 30 June 2005, a decline of 10% from 30 June 2004 when they contained 44,164 GL.
• The 1,300 GL traded in 2004-05 represented 7% of water consumption and 4% of the entitlement volume of water access entitlements.

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Originally Posted by Master Splinter

From the Australian Bureau of Stats (full details in Water Account, Australia)

• During 2004-05, 79,784 GL of water was extracted from the environment and used within the Australia economy. Of this amount, 11,337 GL was extracted by water providers, while water users directly extracted 68,447 GL.
• Of the total volume extracted from the environment (79,784 GL), 62,445 GL was returned to the environment as regulated discharge, with 60,436 GL of this discharge being in-stream use, almost entirely by the electricity and gas supply industry (59,924 GL) for hydro-electric power generation.
• In 2004-05, there were 413 water providers in Australia, supplying 11,337 GL of distributed water. This compares to 479 providers and 12,934 GL in 2000-01.
• Water consumption was 18,767 GL in 2004-05, a decrease of 14% from 2000-01 when it was 21,703 GL.
• The agriculture industry consumed the largest volume of water with 12,191 GL, representing 65% of water consumption in Australia in 2004-05. This is a decrease from 2000-01 when it was 14,989 GL and 69% of water consumption.
• Water consumption by Households was 2,108 GL in 2004-05, accounting for 11% of water consumption in Australia. This compares with 2,278 GL in 2000-01 when it accounted for 10% of water consumption.
• In 2004-05, Australia's large dams had a capacity of 83,853 GL. They contained 39,959 GL of water at 30 June 2005, a decline of 10% from 30 June 2004 when they contained 44,164 GL.
• The 1,300 GL traded in 2004-05 represented 7% of water consumption and 4% of the entitlement volume of water access entitlements.

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l need the smilely faces to understand all that:;

Water use is a huge issue... In my neck of the woods, south of Adelaide, our water doesn't come through the network of reservoirs in the hills that SA Water tops up with Murray water when they are running low. Our taps are fed directly from the Murray river with no storage inbetween. Up until 8 or 9 years ago, it wasn't even filtered - and the brown sludge that used to come out of the taps would make you sick just to look at it! Talk of being fed from the "rear end" of the Murray had real meaning in those days.:oo:

One of the first things we did when we built about 12 years ago, was to put in a 2500 litre rainwater tank that is plumbed to gravity feed a tap on the kitchen sink - and we just DON'T drink anything else.

While water is still a big issue, one of my personal philiosophies is "Never let what you CAN'T do get in the way of what you CAN." So, while I can't solve Australia's water crisis, I've done as much as I can in my own little corner. In addition to the drinking tank, I have a 22500 litre tank fed from my 20'x30' shed, and a 1000 litre tank picking up most of the house rain water that doesn't make it to the drinking tank. A submersible pump in the 1000 litre tank shifts the water up to the 22500 litre tank.

In the summer, I pump water from the big tank to feed drippers on all my fruit trees, vegetable garden, and other sundry productive plantings. When the tank is empty, irrigations stops. I don't use any mains water in the garden at all. The front yard, has only plants that are supposed to survive on what falls from the sky, and so receive no artifical assistance. Our front lawn (and I use the term advisedly), fluctuates from green and lush to brown and crispy on a seasonal rotation.

In the winter, once the main tank has refilled, I throw a couple of valves and shut off the mains all together, running the entire house on rainwater from the tank. The record stands at having the mains switched off for seven months. Three to five would be more of an average figure, but is almost totally dependant on rainfall in the year in question. There is also a bit of guesswork involved - knowing when to switch the mains back on allowing enough future rainfall to refill the tank so there is something left for the fruit trees next summer.

All the talk from our premier about boosting restrictions means nothing to me - since cutting back lawn watering from three days a week to one day a week is fairly meaningless when you havn't watered the lawn in years anyway! Sure, I'm not going to win any neighbourhood gardening competitions, but at least I know I've done my bit.

Pcal

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Originally Posted by pcal

Water use is a huge issue... In my neck of the woods, south of Adelaide, our water doesn't come through the network of reservoirs in the hills that SA Water tops up with Murray water when they are running low. Our taps are fed directly from the Murray river with no storage inbetween. Up until 8 or 9 years ago, it wasn't even filtered - and the brown sludge that used to come out of the taps would make you sick just to look at it! Talk of being fed from the "rear end" of the Murray had real meaning in those days.:oo:

One of the first things we did when we built about 12 years ago, was to put in a 2500 litre rainwater tank that is plumbed to gravity feed a tap on the kitchen sink - and we just DON'T drink anything else.

While water is still a big issue, one of my personal philiosophies is "Never let what you CAN'T do get in the way of what you CAN." So, while I can't solve Australia's water crisis, I've done as much as I can in my own little corner. In addition to the drinking tank, I have a 22500 litre tank fed from my 20'x30' shed, and a 1000 litre tank picking up most of the house rain water that doesn't make it to the drinking tank. A submersible pump in the 1000 litre tank shifts the water up to the 22500 litre tank.

In the summer, I pump water from the big tank to feed drippers on all my fruit trees, vegetable garden, and other sundry productive plantings. When the tank is empty, irrigations stops. I don't use any mains water in the garden at all. The front yard, has only plants that are supposed to survive on what falls from the sky, and so receive no artifical assistance. Our front lawn (and I use the term advisedly), fluctuates from green and lush to brown and crispy on a seasonal rotation.

In the winter, once the main tank has refilled, I throw a couple of valves and shut off the mains all together, running the entire house on rainwater from the tank. The record stands at having the mains switched off for seven months. Three to five would be more of an average figure, but is almost totally dependant on rainfall in the year in question. There is also a bit of guesswork involved - knowing when to switch the mains back on allowing enough future rainfall to refill the tank so there is something left for the fruit trees next summer.

All the talk from our premier about boosting restrictions means nothing to me - since cutting back lawn watering from three days a week to one day a week is fairly meaningless when you havn't watered the lawn in years anyway! Sure, I'm not going to win any neighbourhood gardening competitions, but at least I know I've done my bit.

Pcal

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so so true if everybody did what you have done it wouldn't be prob .a little spin on things will there be a tax on tanks l have 2 x 26000 ltrs+ 7x 1000 ltrs tanks makes you think:roll:

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Originally Posted by SPIRIT

a little spin on things will there be a tax on tanks l have 2 x 26000 ltrs+ 7x 1000 ltrs tanks makes you think:roll:

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Well of course, there is already a tax on tanks in the form of the GST.

But in addition to that, I have heard it said that since SA Water charges on the basis of consumption, if everyone's consumption fell by 30 - 40% or more as mine has, and the Government kept on drawing its "Dividend" from SA Water, they would have to either go broke, or charge a whole lot more just to stay afloat.

So in a round about sort of way the Government, restrictions or not, has some degree of vested interest in not allowing consumption to fall too far...

...talk about conflict of interests!

Master Splinter: Thanks for the link. Good to have some current numbers.

pcal: Good info! How many in your household? We're heading down the same path. Tank is in, just waiting for rain :)

woodbe.

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Originally Posted by woodbe

pcal: Good info! How many in your household? We're heading down the same path. Tank is in, just waiting for rain :)

woodbe.

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We have 4 in the family, including a teenage daughter (need I say more)...

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Originally Posted by pcal

We have 4 in the family, including a teenage daughter (need I say more)...

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Nope. We have 2 of the blighters, but of the male variety.. Got a fair idea what you're on about :D

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Originally Posted by woodbe

Nope. We have 2 of the blighters, but of the male variety.. Got a fair idea what you're on about :D

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Our young Mister is still in the pre-teen "compliant" phase, so double trouble is still a few years off...

...still, think how much worse it could have been without the tank!

Pcal

if anyone wont's to put a dam in tell them it's for wild life or you will be hit by a consumion fee l was shocked when l was told

The thing I cant understand with the topping up of pools with buckets instead of a hose... why, the pool still needs the same amount of water? Wouldnt the hose be a better method of efficiently moving the water with less evaporation?

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Originally Posted by Harry72

The thing I cant understand with the topping up of pools with buckets instead of a hose... why, the pool still needs the same amount of water? Wouldnt the hose be a better method of efficiently moving the water with less evaporation?

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I'm guessing that it forces people to think about whether they really want the damn thing or not. I reckon I'd be thinking about putting in goldfish to eat the mozzie wrigglers and just using it as a water reservoir.

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Originally Posted by pcal

While water is still a big issue, one of my personal philiosophies is "Never let what you CAN'T do get in the way of what you CAN." So, while I can't solve Australia's water crisis, I've done as much as I can in my own little corner.

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Pcal,
if only more people would take your approach (ie, less whinging, more doing) well, the water crisis wouldn't be so much of a crisis. I take pretty much the same approach as you do to my lawn, but living in the tropics mine goes from savannah landscape in the dry season to luxuriant meadow in the wet. I also don't mow it as often as it needs to be a "lawn", because I reckon it's a waste of time and petrol, especially since during the wet you could mow it twice a week to keep it in line.

Mick

there was a plan to use the ORD dam ( wa / nt boarder ) to irigate the desert all the way to Kalgoolie then reverse the pipe line to perth ,

there is enough water going over the spill way of the Ord river dam ( a millon litres per sec ) every JAN /FEB/Mar to run an open channel / pipe line over hills to Port augusta in south austraila ,

flood lake Eyre ,and other salt lakes ( turn it into the Dead sea ), let the open channels top up the water table ,irrigate the deserts and grow food .The avaporation off WA and SA should cause more rain fall on the western side of the great devide ( Murry Darling rivers )

Pumping from the Ord has been a popular concept for years. There have been many studies done on proposed piping and open ducts as well as various routes to solve water shortage or increase agricultural value. The problem is the high cost of construction and the ongoing energy costs for pumping the water.

The latest study preferred a short term solution by constructing a desalination plant in the Perth metropolitan area. My thoughts are we have stuffed the land so leave the oceans alone but economics seem to be more important. :(

If you look at a map the Ord is central north and equally positioned to tap into and service the southern and eastern states. It will need Federal resources or at the least a cooperative between states before this one gets off the ground.

Perhaps the benefit might be an increase in agriculture in Kununurra if water restrictions in southern states push up prices.

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Originally Posted by journeyman Mick

I reckon I'd be thinking about putting in goldfish to eat the mozzie wrigglers a

Mick

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We knew some people in Ballarat whos pool cracked and leaked so they put 2 gold fish into it.
They forgot about the fish for years, then one day dipped a net into the coupla feet of water, there was so many fish in it that they started selling them to pet shops on a regular basis.

They never once fed them or anything.

Al :cool:

I saw a doco on the Ord a few weeks back on either SBS or ABCTV really opened my eyes up enough water being piped out per day to keep Sydney in water for a month!!
Has the desalination plant been finished yet,I will be visiting Perth Jan 22 - Feb 11th would like to have a look at it.
The thing that amazes me is that the government taxes water that falls from the sky. If you want to put a dam on your property you have to pay a tax,how f......g ridiculous:~

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Originally Posted by ozwinner

Time for everyone to do a rain dance.

:aerobics::aerobics::aerobics:

Al:roll:

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Al put you clothes back on.... :o:o

any excuse:U:U

I've heard gossip that households with water tanks will be charged a "Collection fee" in Melbourne..... just gossip, but it would not suprise me if it happened! :~

FWIW - I didn't feel that woodbe was having a go at agricultural water users, just asking questions about an issue thats getting more and more attention.

Woodbe - goodonya.... there's an enourmous amount of slanted 'reporting' aimed at generating scandal about agricultural water use. Goodonya for asking questions rather than just accepting the 'between advertisment fillers'.

Related issue:
I use irrigation and 'soil management' best practice in my gardens, drawn from both experience farming and reading DPI/CRC research.

I've got healthy black friable soil (was compacted clay and a bit of cheap 'soil') to @ 1/2 meter deep with lots of actively growing, water hungry, plants.
I water once every 2 weeks or so using laundry rinse water and a bucket, we do several laundry loads all at once so I can get lots of water.
Even got a green front lawn, it gets the water from 'inbetween' loads.

I think this (soil maintenance) is a forgotten/overlooked aspect of minimising water use.


My votes with leaving the Northern Aus rivers alone rather than piping them south. Better still, move north.

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Originally Posted by coastie

I saw a doco on the Ord a few weeks back on either SBS or ABCTV really opened my eyes up enough water being piped out per day to keep Sydney in water for a month!!
Has the desalination plant been finished yet,I will be visiting Perth Jan 22 - Feb 11th would like to have a look at it.
The thing that amazes me is that the government taxes water that falls from the sky. If you want to put a dam on your property you have to pay a tax,how f......g ridiculous:~

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It was commissioned in November and here is a link
http://www.watercorporation.com.au/D/desalination.cfm

Rodm;
Thanks for that link,my daughter used to go to Uni. at Rockingham she passed Kwinana on the way so doubtless she would be aware of the exact location:2tsup:

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Originally Posted by Clinton1

I've heard gossip that households with water tanks will be charged a "Collection fee" in Melbourne..... just gossip, but it would not suprise me if it happened! :~

FWIW - I didn't feel that woodbe was having a go at agricultural water users, just asking questions about an issue thats getting more and more attention.

Woodbe - goodonya.... there's an enourmous amount of slanted 'reporting' aimed at generating scandal about agricultural water use. Goodonya for asking questions rather than just accepting the 'between advertisment fillers'.

Related issue:
I use irrigation and 'soil management' best practice in my gardens, drawn from both experience farming and reading DPI/CRC research.

I've got healthy black friable soil (was compacted clay and a bit of cheap 'soil') to @ 1/2 meter deep with lots of actively growing, water hungry, plants.
I water once every 2 weeks or so using laundry rinse water and a bucket, we do several laundry loads all at once so I can get lots of water.
Even got a green front lawn, it gets the water from 'inbetween' loads.

I think this (soil maintenance) is a forgotten/overlooked aspect of minimising water use.


My votes with leaving the Northern Aus rivers alone rather than piping them south. Better still, move north.

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dead right they have to mulch it is the answer build up the soil we don't live in europe (most garden are designed around)

Hi,

I hadn't heard of that phrase "warm up water" previously. however, that is xactley what my wife & I do. every time we require some hot water via out taps we collect the initial cold water in 2 litre containers e.g. juice/cordial bottles then transfer the water to our water tank. It usually takes 2 litres of cold water to come through before the warm water comes through. It is amazing how much water you can save (going down the drain) doing this process:2tsup:.

Regards
David

I think focusing on residential water use by government is a great smoke screen. While we all bicker between ourselves, industry wastes water and gets away with it.

Your neighbor looks at you sideways when you decide to give the verge tree that extra summer water, while 100m down the road, developers are pumping out ground water, all day everyday into storm water drain and nobody blinks an eye.

This is an interesting short documentary on Permaculture in Jordan. This is how we should be doing agriculture in Australia.

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Originally Posted by Grunt

This is an interesting short documentary on Permaculture in Jordan. This is how we should be doing agriculture in Australia.

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why bother ? we're all going to die anyway :cool: