Water infrastructure
Water infrastructure
Water pipes, tanks, pumps, storage reservoirs and treatment plants make up the essential water networks that transport water to communities for everyday use.
Across the 1.3 million square kilometres of the Northern Territory (NT), there is about 3,012 kilometres of pipe supplying safe and secure drinking water to homes and business.
For more information about your town’s water supply, go to Power and Water website.
Investing for the future
Investments are being made to improve water security across the Territory for current and future generations. With aspirations to rebuild the economy, grow our population, support affordable housing development and create vibrant communities, the NT Government is partnering with the Australian Government to invest in new essential water infrastructure and maintain the existing supply networks.
Upgrades to increase essential water supply capacity are currently underway to enable new houses to be built in remote communities to reduce overcrowding. For more details, go to the Our Community. Our Future. Our Homes website.
National Water Grid Fund
The National Water Grid Fund is the Australian Government’s infrastructure investment program to improve water access and security by delivering nationally important water infrastructure projects that unlock potential, build resilience, and promote growth and sustainability. For more information, go to the National Water Grid website.
To be funded, projects must be sponsored by the NT Government and meet the criteria set out in the National Water Grid Investment Framework. Projects must align with NT Government’s priorities of reducing crime, rebuilding the economy or restoring the Territory lifestyle.
Over $478 million of funding has been secured for water security projects in the NT through the fund. This includes almost $70 million invested by the NT Government and over $408 million co-contributed from the Australian Government. Some major NT projects include:
- Darwin Region Water Supply Infrastructure Program Stage 1 which includes returning Manton Dam to service and the planning and approvals for Adelaide River Off-Stream Water Storage (AROWS) project – $327.59 million total investment
- $27 million NT Government
- $300.59 million Australian Government
- Water supply upgrades in Maningrida – $21 million total investment
- $8 million NT Government
- $13 million Australian Government
- Bore drilling and equipping across 10 remote communities – $34.3 million total investment
- $6.5 million NT Government
- $27.8 million Australian Government
The fund also supports scientific research projects which builds the evidence base so that water management and future infrastructure investments continue to be environmentally sustainable, culturally responsive, and utilise new and emerging water technologies. Projects like the Adelaide River Water Plan and the Aboriginal Water Science - Arid zone: Ti Tree Basin palaeovalley seek to improve management of precious water resources through scientific investigations and Traditional knowledge-sharing with communities.
NT National Water Grid projects
The NT and Australian Governments have partnered to deliver the following water infrastructure and science projects in the NT.
You can read more about the National Water Grid Fund and all NT projects here: National Water Grid
If you have questions about any of the NT projects or have project proposal ideas, contact the Office of Water Security by emailing watersecurity.ntg@nt.gov.au.