Water conservation and efficiency

The Northern Territory (NT) has among the highest water usage rates in Australia, using more than double the national average on a per capita basis.

Saving water for households and businesses

To reduce the Territory’s water use Power and Water Corporation has implemented the Living Water Smart program for many years.

This program helps residents and businesses in the Darwin region reduce water use and become more efficient.

To find out more about the program, go to the Living Water Smart website.

Government leading the way

The Northern Territory (NT) Government is also doing their bit to reduce water use.

As part of the Territory Water Plan, the NT Government will deliver a demand management strategy.

The strategy will first set water efficiency targets for all NT Government agencies in the Greater Darwin region. These targets will be supported by individual agency water efficiency plans.

Along with improving NT Government’s water efficiency, the strategy seeks to reduce water demand from other levels of government, including local governments and Territory-based commonwealth agencies. NT Government will collaborate and share knowledge with these organisation to ensure we are all being water efficient.

Project progress

Early activities are underway for the demand management strategy including:

• data analysis of NT Government’s water use footprint in the Darwin region
• a pilot greenspace audit program for NTG greenspaces in Darwin region to identify opportunities for water efficiency improvements
• partnering with Darwin Living Lab to explore locations for microclimate monitoring in Darwin greenspaces. This monitoring would aim to understand cooling benefits of greenspaces and improve water efficiency
• exploring options for NT Government policy-based measures to improve water efficiency.