State of the Environment

2006

Indicator: HS-42 Water consumption per capita

Data

Water consumption by the residential sector (kl per residential property) Australian Capital Cities — 1997/98-2002/03

Water consumption by the residential sector (kl per residential property) Australian Capital Cities — 1997/98-2002/03

Source: Water Services Association of Australia 2003, Submission to the House Environment Committee to examine the Future Sustainability of Australian Cities, the House Environment Committee, Melbourne, p.4.

Water Use per Capita and per Household
Australia – 1993-94 - 2000-01
Volume per capita (kL/capita) Volume per household (kL/household)
2000-01 115 280
1996-97 102 282
1993-94 95 260

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2004, Water Account Australia 2000-01, Australian Bureau of Statistics, Canberra, viewed 28 Nov 2005, http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/b06660592430724fca2568b5007b8619/
9f319397d7a98db9ca256f4d007095d7!OpenDocument, p. 88

Changes in Water Use Selected cities - Australia 1970 to 2000
Total Water used Water used per capita
1970 to 1980 1980 to 1990 1990 to 2000 1970 to 1980 1980 to 1990 1990 to 2000
Sydney +30 -6 +2 +15 -16 -7
Melbourne +50 +13 -1 +38 -6 -12
Newcastle +37 -16 -2 +27 -23 -14

Source: Water Services Association of Australia 2003, Submission to the House Environment Committee to examine the Future Sustainability of Australian Cities, the House Environment Committee, Melbourne, p. 5

Per capita consumption required to stay within Sustainable Yield
Selected Australian Cities - 2004-2030
City Current Annual per capita consumption (kl) Annual per capita consumption required in 2030 to stay within Sustainable Yield (kl) % change required by 2030
Canberra 162 211 -30
Adelaide 166 166 0
Perth 149 134 10
Melbourne 138 132 4
Newcastle 157 127 19
Brisbane 183 124 32
Sydney 151 117 22
Gold Coast 127 78 38
Mean 154 136 12

Water Services Association of Australia 2005, unpublished data.

Sustainable Yields and Water Consumption in Australian Cities
City Current Population 1 (000s) Current Total Consumption 2 (ML/yr) Current per Capita Consumption (kL/yr) Sustainable yield 3 (ML) Projected Population in 2030 4 (000s) Approximate year when consumption exceeds Sustainable Yield 5 Per Capita Consumption required in 2030 to stay within Sustainable Yield (kL/yr)
Adelaide 1 077 178 380 166 185 000 6 1 115 2030 166
Brisbane 905 165 353 183 165 000 7 1 326 2003 8 124
Canberra 346 56 148 162 84 000 398 2070 211
Gold Coast 454 57 850 127 62 000 9 790 10 2007 78
Melbourne 3 470 479 215 138 564 000 4 263 2024 132
Newcastle 489 76 852 157 73 500 580 2003 8 127
Perth 1 426 212 244 149 276 000 11 2 060 2026 134
Sydney 4 198 634 742 151 600 000 5 115 2003 8 117

1 The total population receiving water supply services in 2002-03, as reported in WSAAfacts 2003.
2 The total water consumption for residential, commercial, industrial and other uses in 2002-03, as reported in WSAAfacts 2003
3 Information supplied by relevant utility.
4 Base data is from Australian Bureau of Statistics, with the exception of data for Gold Coast, Newcastle and Perth, which was provided by the relevant utility.
5 Assuming consumption levels remain constant at 2003 levels.
6 Due to variability in rainfall, Adelaide currently has a sustainable yield of 50 000-60 000ML. In addition, SA Water has a 5-year rolling allocation of 650 000ML from the Murray River. This equates to an average of 130 000ML a year which provides an overall sustainable yield of approximately 185000ML. It should be noted, however, that the 650 000ML allocation does not need to be divided evenly between the five-year period - for example 174 000ML was used last year - so long as the 650 000ML limit is not exceeded. The potential also exists for SA Water to purchase additional water through trading, so the sustainable yield provided is really only a theoretical figure.
7 The Brisbane Sustainable Yield value equates to the master meter volumes supplied to Brisbane from SEQWater, with a 1% risk of depletion
8 Figures in italics denote areas where consumption has already exceeded the sustainable yield. Exceeding the sustainable yield does not mean that the city has run out of water, but that the security of supply for the city is reduced. This is likely to result in restrictions which are more frequent and of longer duration.
9 The Gold Coast sustainable yield is based on a historical simulation of rainfall from 1889-2003 with no failure (ie 100% reliability) and no restriction being invoked. It should be noted that the bulk supply obtained from SEQWater/Brisbane’s Wivenhoe Dam System will increase in the future.
10 The projected population figure for the Gold Coast is only for the resident population. Water demand is also influenced fairly significantly by the highly fluctuating visitor population which is predicted to be 98 000 in 2030, with significant increases on this experienced at peak periods.
11 The current system yield of the Integrated Water Supply Scheme (supplying Perth, Mandurah, small south west towns and the Goldfields and Agricultural Water Supply Scheme) is estimated at 335 000ML per year. By 2030, the demand on the Integrated Scheme from the areas other than Perth is estimated to rise to 59 000ML per year, leaving a yield of 276 000ML for Perth. This figure may be further derated if the flow regime of the last seven years - where inflows to metropolitan surface water sources have been 30% below the average of the last 29 years - continues and is adopted as a new planning base.

More detailed information is available from the ABS National Water Account 2000-2001:

What the data mean

Water consumption in capital cities on a per residential property basis is varied. The consumption levels from 1997-2003 has generally declined, except in Sydney, Adelaide and Hobart.

Australians on average used 115 kL/capita during 2000-01, a 20% increase since 1993-94. Australian households used on average 280 kL of water per year in 2000-01, with an average of 2.6 persons per household. In contrast to the per capita use the increase in use by households increased by only 8%.

In contrast to water use at the national level, water use per capita in selected major cities has declined over the last three decades; per capita water use in Sydney and Newcastle declined while use Melbourne has increased. Water use, especially on a per capita basis, has declined significantly during the 1990s. Estimates by the Water Services Association of Australia indicate that the water consumption in 2030 would have exceeded their sustainable yield in all major cities, except Canberra.

Issues for which this is an indicator and why

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

Water consumption per capita is an indicator of the pressure of human demand on water resources.

Other indicators for this issue:

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

Per capita water consumption is an indicator of the pressure of human demand on surface waters.

Other indicators for this issue:

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

Per capita water consumption is an indicator of the pressure of human demand on groundwater sources.

Other indicators for this issue:

Further Information

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