Perth Weekly Water Update - 12 August 2022
| Target | Actual | |
|---|---|---|
| August water use to date |
6.7 billion litres |
6.9 billion litres |
| Dam storage levels | N/A | 57.5% |
| Monthly streamflow into dams | N/A | 14.5 billion litres |
| August rainfall to date | 132.9mm (August average rainfall 1876-2016) | 106.6mm |
| Note: 1 billion litres = approximately 400 Olympic swimming pools. Please note the figures in this table are rounded (except for rainfall) to the nearest whole number. | ||
Water use
Average water use over the past week was 655 million litres per day – slightly above the demand forecast of 628 million litres per day.
Daily water use for the last five days
| Date | Actual water use (million litres) | Forecast water use (million litres) |
|---|---|---|
| 10/08/2022 | 709 | 628 |
| 09/08/2022 | 670 | 628 |
| 08/08/2022 | 658 | 628 |
| 07/08/2022 | 646 | 627 |
| 06/08/2022 | 638 | 627 |
| Note: water use is calculated up to 8am each day for the previous 24 hour period. | ||
Since 1 July 2022 to date, we have used 2.5 billion litres of water – which is 0.8 billion litres above the forecast target for this period.
Dam levels (total for 15 dams)
The dam storage levels are slightly up on last week and are sitting at a combined 57.5 per cent* of full capacity.
*Please note some dams are filled from different sources - dam levels include the transfer of groundwater and desalinated seawater from treatment plants as well as streamflow (that comes from rainfall). As we use many different sources of water, dams are no longer an accurate indicator of the health of Perth's overall water supply situation.
Streamflow (total for 15 dams)
From 1 May 2022, the dams have received 28.8 billion litres of streamflow. The post-1975 average for the May to April period (called the streamflow year) is 173.9 billion litres.
Annual rainfall
Perth has received 494.6mm of rainfall since 1 January 2022. The average (1876-2016) rainfall for the same period to the end of August is 676.5mm.
General water news
Students from 22 secondary schools across the state gathered last week to put innovation into action during the 2022 WA Schools Think Tank Challenge.
Hosted by Water Corporation, the event brought together 268 Year 9 and 10 students from Perth, Northam, Bunbury, and Albany for one of four waterwise workshops.
Students learnt about Perth’s water supply challenges and used ‘design thinking’ to develop new ways to recycle water and encourage WA communities to stay waterwise.
Water Corporation Customer and Community Manager, Karen Willis, said the competition allowed young people to play an active role in the future sustainability of precious drinking water supplies.
“Young people are acutely aware of the impacts of climate change and want to be involved in developing ways to combat its effects,” Ms Willis said.
“This event is a chance for students to learn about the challenges and opportunities facing WA’s water supply, and to be involved in designing sustainable solutions.”
The event also introduced students to the innovative water recycling initiatives already in place in WA, such as groundwater replenishment.
“There’s considerable innovation involved in recycling water as a fit-for-purpose resource and reusing by-products from water treatment,” Ms Willis said.
“This is an important part of promoting circular economies where something that was once considered waste is reused, leading to better environmental outcomes.”
The most innovative ideas from each workshop will be presented to a panel of water industry experts during National Water Week in October, where a final winner will be selected.
“Last year’s winning idea came from students at Fremantle College and actually inspired the design of a prototype water tap which allowed water flow to be altered for different purposes,” Ms Willis said.
To find out more about the Think Tank Program, visit www.watercorporation.com.au/Education/WA-Schools-Think-Tank-Challenge