Water in the Territory

Water is vital for our wellbeing and the health of the environment and culture the Northern Territory (NT) is renowned for.

Water supports the functioning of resilient cities, towns and communities that maintain our economy and society.

Proper management of water resources is essential to ensure sustainable water use for people, environment and economic purposes over the long term.

Read more about what the Northern Territory (NT) Government is doing to develop new water resource laws.

Power and Water Corporation provides water supply services to 18 major and minor urban centres and 72 remote communities across the NT. This is close to 95% of the NT population.

Most of the towns and communities serviced by Power and Water Corporation, rely on groundwater for their water supply.

For example, Katherine’s water comes from the Katherine River and is supplemented with treated groundwater. In Darwin and surrounds, most of the water comes from the Darwin River Dam, with groundwater making up the remainder of supply. The Darwin Regional Water Supply Program is underway to secure water supply for the region as it grows.

Customers and users can be confident that Power and Water operates under a comprehensive Drinking Water Safety Management System developed in line with the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines to ensure the safety of its water supply systems.

Power and Water balance water demand and supply capability to ensure the sustainability and security of its water supply systems, and works to ensure Territorians have reliable access to water now and into the future.

For more information on the water supply in your area, go to the Power and Water website.

The Territory water plan includes a number of priority actions which aim to improve water supply and service delivery, and mange drinking water quality.