Issues and Trends in Australia’s Water Use and Conservation

February 3rd, 2010

The Australian Bureau of Statistics has released its summary report on issues and trends in relation to Australia’s environment. Information on water consumption, conservation, management and marine and coastal waters are summarised here.

Water Use and Consumption

Water consumption in Australia in 2004–05 was 18,767 gigalitres (GL), a decrease of 14% from 2000–01, in which it was 21,703 GL. Many parts of Australia experienced below average rainfall in 2004–05, with drought conditions occurring in some areas, including parts of the Murray-Darling Basin. These dry conditions have led to urban water restrictions and reduced availability of water for irrigators. Although the agriculture industry had the highest water use in 2004–05 (12,191 GL, or 65% of total water consumption), water use by this sector decreased by 19%, or 2,798 GL, between 2000–01 and 2004–05.  Households accounted for 2,108 GL of water in 2004–05, or 11.2% of Australia’s total water consumption. Household water use also decreased between 2000–01 and 2004–05, by 7% or 170 GL.

Agricultural consumption: The agriculture industry is the largest consumer of water in Australia. Nearly all (90%) of the water used for agriculture in 2007–08 was used for irrigation. Water consumption by the agriculture industry is very much influenced by climatic conditions and this must be taken into account when assessing changes in water use. For large parts of southern and eastern Australia, dry conditions have persisted since 2001. For the majority of the agriculturally important Murray-Darling Basin, October 2008 marked the seventh consecutive year of lower-than-average rainfall totals. In 2007–08, the agriculture industry consumed 6,989 gigalitres (GL), nearly one- fifth (18%) less water compared with 2006– 07 (8,521 GL), and 40.2% less than in 2005–06 (11,689 GL).

The vast majority (90%) of the water used for agricultural production is for irrigation of crops and pastures, with the rest used for other agricultural purposes such as drinking water for stock and dairy/piggery cleaning.  Climatic conditions affect both availability of water for irrigation and the need to irrigate in order to supplement rainfall. Some crops such as rice, cotton and grapevines are highly dependent on irrigation. For other production, including grazing pasture and most broadacre crops, irrigation water supplements natural rainfall or provides moisture at critical periods of plant growth.  In 2007–08, the total volume of water used for irrigation was 6,285 gigalitres (GL). ‘Pasture and crops used for grazing’ used
the most water in Australia in 2007–08. It accounted for more than a quarter (26.1%) of the total volume of irrigation water and for 29% of the total area irrigated nationally.

Rice was the most heavily irrigated crop in 2007–08, in terms of the volume of water applied per unit area. The application rate for rice was almost four times the national average rate across all crops and pastures. Cotton was the crop with the second- highest irrigation rate. Rice growers reported a substantial drop in irrigation water use in 2007–08 (down 89% on 2006–07), as did cotton growers (down 64%). The area of cotton crop irrigated in Australia fell by 57%, compared to the previous year.

Household water consumption: The majority of Australian households (93%) had access to mains water in March 2007. Other households relied on rainwater tanks, bores or wells or water from rivers, creeks and dams. Some households supplemented their water supply by collecting water in containers or by using rainwater. Many Australian households also reported using grey water (54%) and bottled water (19%).

Household water use and conservation has been a widely discussed issue in recent years due to drought conditions and water restrictions in many parts of Australia.

In addition to mandatory water restrictions in many parts of Australia, many Australians have been voluntarily conserving water by adopting water saving practices and installing water saving devices, such as dual flush toilets.
In 2007, the majority of Australian households had some type of water conservation device installed in their home. In June 1994, only 39% of households had a dual flush toilet. In 2007, 81% of households had a dual flush toilet. The percentage of dwellings using water- efficient shower heads rose from 22% in 1994 to 55% in 2007. In 2007, 96% of dwellings less than one year old had only dual flush toilets (rather than “regular” toilets), and 74% had water- efficient shower heads in each shower. When the dwelling was more than 30 years old, these figures fell to 64% for dual flush toilets and 46% for water-efficient shower heads.

Grey water is used water from the shower/bath, laundry or kitchen that households collect for re-use. In 2007, grey water was the second most common source of water for households, after mains/town water. More than half (54%) of Australian households reported grey water as a source. Water restrictions since 2002 have affected households primarily by changing their use of water in the garden. In 2007, nearly a quarter (24%) of Australian households reported grey water as their primary source of water for the garden. More than four in ten households reported mains/town water (42%) as their primary source of water for the garden.

In 2007, 21% of all households reported that their dwelling had a rainwater tank. South Australia had the highest proportion of dwellings with a rainwater tank (49% total). The Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory had the lowest proportion of dwellings with a rainwater tank: 8% and 6% respectively. In 2007, rainwater tanks were much more prevalent outside capital cities (35%) than within capital cities (12%). In capital cities, the most commonly reported reason for installing a tank was to save water. In the rest of the state, the most common reason was that the dwelling was not connected to mains water. Overall, 42% of households with a rainwater tank reported saving water as a reason for installing a tank, and 27% reported that their household was not connected to mains water. More than 60% of households without a rainwater tank (but which had a dwelling suitable for a tank and which were home owners or purchasers) had considered installing one. Cost was the most common reason reported for not installing a rainwater tank (48%).

Water Trading: In 2008–09, a large portion of the Murray- Darling Basin experienced below-average rainfall. Many regions also suffered from an extreme heatwave in January and February 2009, which increased evaporation and, therefore, reduced water availability. This created a strong demand for water transfers, which resulted in about $2.2 billion of water trades in 2008–09, up 75% from the previous year (while the volume traded increased by 57%).

The National Water Commission recorded 5,766 permanent and 26,285 temporary water trades in Australia in 2008–09. These trades totalled 3,958 GL of water, of which 2,158 GL changed hands temporarily and 1,800 GL were traded permanently. Nearly three-quarters (72%) of temporary trades occurred internally (within states). Interstate trades accounted for 28% of temporary trades during 2008– 09, up from 15% in 2007–08. All the water traded permanently was traded within states.
New South Wales traded the largest volume of water during 2008–09. Within the state, 1,286 GL were traded in permanent trades and 871 GL in temporary trades. New South Wales also traded 560 GL to other states in 2008–09.
Victoria was also a major water trader in 2008–09. Within the state, 252 GL of permanent trades occurred, as well as 344 GL of temporary trades. Victoria also traded 30 GL to South Australia during the year.

The Australian government also purchases water entitlements, through the Restoring the Balance in the Murray-Darling Basin program, which aims to protect or restore the environmental assets of the basin. By 30 June 2009, the program had purchased 64 GL of water, and the government had exchanged contracts for a further 382 GL.

Download the full report here..

Tags: conservation, consumption, irrigation, water markets, water reform, water trading, water use

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