State of the Environment

2006

Indicator: IW-04 Surface water used for urban/industrial

Data

Australia's mean annual water use (GL) by surface water and groundwater (1996/97)
Total use surface water Total use groundwater Ratio of surface water to groundwater use
New South Wales 9 000 1 008 9
Victoria 5 166 622 8.3
Queensland 2 969 1 622 1.8
Western Australia 658 1 138 0.6
South Australia 746 419 1.8
Tasmania 451 20 22.6
Northern Territory 51 128 0.4
Australian Capital Territory 68 5 13.6
Total 19 109 4 962 3.9

adapted from Source: National Land & Water Resources Audit 2001, Water Use: An insight into opportunities for improved water resource mangement and development, Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra, viewed 8 Nov 2005, http://audit.ea.gov.au/ANRA/water/docs/national/Water_Use.html, Table 13

Change in mean annual surface water use (GL) between 1983/84 and 1996/97
Total use 1983/84 surface water (GL) Total use 1996/97 surface water (GL) Percent increase in surface water use
New South Wales 5 932 9 000 52
Victoria 3 714 5 166 39
Queensland 1 209 2 969 145
Western Australia 461 658 43
South Australia 498 746 50
Tasmania 165 451 173
Northern Territory 29 51 76
Australian Capital Territory n/a 68 -
Total 12 008 19 109 59

adapted from Source: National Land & Water Resources Audit 2001, Water Use: An insight into opportunities for improved water resource mangement and development, Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra, viewed 8 Nov 2005, http://audit.ea.gov.au/ANRA/water/docs/national/Water_Use.html, Table 19

Water consumption* by selected industries, 1996–97 and 2000-2001
Water consumption (ML)
1996–97 2000-01
Irrigated agriculture 15 502 973 16 660 381
Forestry and fishing 18 815 26 924
Mining 570 217 400 622
Manufacturing 727 737 866 061
Electricity and gas supply 1 307 834 1 687 778
Water supply 1 706 645 1 793 953
Household 1 828 999 2 181 447
Environmental flows 459 393
Other 522 513 832 100

* Water consumption = mains water use + self extracted water use + reuse water use –water supplied to other uses- in-stream water use

adapted from Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2004, Water Account Australia 2000-01, Cat. No. 4610.0, Australian Bureau of Statistics, Canberra, viewed 9 Nov 2005, http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/
abs@.nsf/Lookup/D828F04237840B07CA256F4C007155B3, Table 1.3, p. 8, and

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2000, Water Account for Australia 1993-94 to 1996-97, Cat. No. 4610.0, ABS, Canberra, viewed 27 Apr 2006, http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/
Lookup/B73DB095D62546D2CA256E980079E54C, Table 1.4, p. 10

What the data mean

Most sectors increased their water consumption between 1996-97 and 2000-01. Water consumption in the mining sector declined.

Data Limitations

The methodology used by ABS differs between Water Accounts. The ABS data do not differentiate between surface and groundwater sources

Issues for which this is an indicator and why

Inland Waters - Catchment scale influences - Hydrological condition - Surface-water availability and human use 

Demand for water supply for urban use is growing across all sectors. Developing water resources to meet the growing demand presents major challenges because of competition for water and environmental issues. There is also an uncertainty associated with climate change and the potential for decreased yield from existing water supply catchments. As a result, there is considerable potential for conflict over supplying increased urban water demands.

The trend in total urban water use is determined by changes in population, per capita use and uptake of water-efficient technologies. Changes in quantity water used for urban and industrial purposes is a direct measure of the pressure of water extraction, the contribution of inland waters to urban life and industrial activity, and the societal response to the pressure.

Other indicators for this issue:

Human Settlements - Pressures created by human settlements on the environment - Water use 

The indicator is a direct measure of one aspect of water use.

Other indicators for this issue:

Further Information

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