Environmental performance reporting

Sustainability Report 2005-2006

Department of the Environment and Water Resources, 2007

Australian Antarctic Division Environmental Performance

Water

EN5: Total water use

Goals 2005-06
Performance 2005-06 and trends

No investigation of options to increase water capacity at Davis station was undertaken in 2005-06. Moisture-responsive irrigation was not installed at headquarters during this period.

Water consumption varies from year to year at stations depending on climate, building and scientific programmes at stations, and number of expeditioners and visitors to stations. At Kingston, average water usage for 2005-06 was 109 litres per person per day. This is 6692 kL in total, 1.1 kL/m2; or 24 kL per person per year.

Figure 1: Water consumption at Antarctic stations and AAD headquarters, 2000-06

Figure 1: Water consumption at Antarctic stations and AAD headquarters, 2000-06

At Antarctic stations, the average daily water use per person has decreased compared with last year at Macquarie Island (21%), Casey (17%) and Davis (32%), and has increased at Mawson (17%).

Table 1: Average water consumption at Australian Antarctic stations (litres per person per day)
Station 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06
Macquarie Is. 270 382 323 404 324 256
Mawson 157 154 140 165 141 165
Casey 176 167 121 144 165 136
Davis 171 150 126 109 95 65
Commentary

AAD uses water primarily for drinking, cooking, washing, scientific experiments, and to maintain environmental hygiene at Antarctic stations. Meters are installed at each station and at Kingston, Tasmania.

Water consumption at the Tasmanian operations of AAD has increased by 9% since last year. The major contributing factors to this increase are additional quarantine requirements which require increased hygiene standards of vehicles (e.g. increased hosing-down of vehicles) and other equipment being shipped to the AAT, and maintenance of the sewer lines and neutralising pits at Kingston which involved substantial flushing.

At Davis, the increasing summer population continues to strain the water-making capacity of the current infrastructure and to require water restrictions. Because of its scarcity and finite nature at Davis, water conservation is discussed during expedition training.

Goals 2006-07

Related Indicators

AAD Indicators

Other Indicators

Contents

  • TBL Report 04-05
  • TBL Report 03-04

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