Let's keep Living Water Smart to secure our water future.
Together as a community, we’ve made some important ground in cutting back on our water use over the past 10 years.
However, Territorians use more than twice the amount of water as the rest of Australia, perhaps thinking we have abundant rain in the Top End.
The Northern Territory isn’t immune to changing weather patterns and our increasing population in recent years is placing greater demand on water resources..
That’s why we all need to keep living water smart – and we have a range of tips and hacks to help you save water, save money and help secure our water future.
Ways to save both water and money
Where to start
On average, sixty per cent of a Northern Territory household’s water use is in the garden. So, the backyard is a great place to start when considering how you can cut back.
Use our home water use calculator to keep track of your water use. If you find you’re using a lot more water than expected, read more about detecting leaks.
If you don’t have a leak, challenge yourself to conserve water where you can.
Tips for saving water at home
Save water outside your home
- Wash the car on the lawn, use a trigger nozzle, rather than watering your cement. Same goes for the dog and bike.
- Fix a dripping tap immediately. One drip per second wastes 30 litres of water a day.
- Water your garden at night or early in the morning when less water evaporates - and don't water when it’s been raining or is very windy.
- Use a tap timer, so you don't forget to turn the watering system off.
- Don't mow your lawn too short. If the roots are shaded less water will evaporate.
- Mulch your garden beds. Mulch increases your garden's moisture retention and adds to the nutrient content.
- Choose plant species native to your area, they will be more tolerant to the weather conditions.
- Try to put plants with the same watering requirements together to make planning your watering and irrigation easier.
Save water inside your home
- Cut your shower time down to four minutes.
- Convert to a water efficient shower head.
- Install a water efficient dual flush toilet.
- Sweep your driveway instead of hosing.
- Use a 5-star water efficient washing machine and other water efficient appliances.
- Reduce the time you water your garden from one hour to only 30 minutes a day.
Some of our customers may be eligible for concessions to help manage water costs.
Additional water saving resources
Smart Approved WaterMark
Australia's water saving labelling program for products and services that help reduce water use.
Visit Smart Approved WaterMark
Alice Water Smart
A project aimed at preserving our finite groundwater source and securing the long-term sustainability of Alice Springs.
Living Water Smart
The Living Water Smart initiative was designed as a resource for Darwin residents. However, the articles, tips and advice provided are handy for anyone in the Northern Territory who’s trying to save water and money.
There are plenty of things you can do to reduce your overheads by decreasing your water costs.
- Repair leaks. A tap leaking at one drip per second will waste more than 12,000 litres of water a year. If you can see a toilet leaking or hear your toilet hissing, you could be losing up to 96,400 litres a year.
- Install water-efficient products where possible. E.g. shower heads in hotel guest rooms and staff showers.
- If you have a laundry, invest in water-efficient washing machines and energy-efficient dryers.
- Encourage employees or guests to use the half flush option where appropriate. Also, prompt them to fill the dishwasher before running it.
- If you have a garden area:
- Water after overnight and ideally at sunrise. In the day, when the ground is hot, the water will evaporate and you may inadvertently burn your plants.
- Use mulch. It keeps moisture in the soil, reducing evaporation by as much as 75 per cent.
Something as simple as a leaking toilet can lose over 200,000 litres of water per year. That’s enough water to fill your average backyard pool many times over! A meter leak check is a fast and easy way for you to check for leaks at any time.