What Will It Take for West Australians to Worry About Water?

For some reason this week I’ve been talking a lot about water with people. Most people are aware of the need to save water, in part due to the Water Corporation’s successful “Save Six” campaign (www.savesix.com.au). And many people are actively trying to save water.

But I’m pretty sure we’re not doing enough. So settle in for a wee lecture.

Pushing Water Uphill?

West Australian households use the most water per capita in all of Australia. Our average water consumption is 180 kilolitres of water per capita. Compare that to Victoria’s at 81 kilolitres per person!

The Water Corporation forecasts that by 2030 Perth and connected towns will need an additional 120 gigalitres of water – more than 40% of current annual water use. (I know it’s hard to visualise 120 gigalitres, but it’s a lot. One gigalitre is 1000 megalitres. One megalitre is 1000 kilolitres. One kilolitre is 1000 litres.)

And what’s more, they have categorically said that we cannot meet water demand from the development of new sources, such as desalination, alone. So we’re going to have to save a lot more, and quickly. Our water conservation task is a big one, because there’s going to be less source water to save in the first place. Two major factors are driving our decreasing supply of water – population growth and climate change.

Australian household water consumption, per capita - 2000-01 and 2004-05 (source: ABS, 2006, Water Account Australia)

Population Growth

Australia’s population is growing quickly, which means more water is required for farming, industry, and households. And WA’s population is currently growing faster than any other State or Territory. And it’s not just Perth. The coastal municipalities of Capel and Mandurah were the fastest-growing non-capital local authorities in Australia.

The Treasury estimates Australia’s population will grow 50% by 2050, and the Australian Bureau of Statistics put the estimate at a growth rate between 50% and 100% by 2057. That’s a lot of extra people.

Climate Change

We can debate the causes, but Australia is getting hotter and we’re getting less rain in most parts.

Since 1950, Australia’s average annual temperature has increased by 0.9°C. Even under a low emissions scenario, the Bureau of Meterology and CSIRO estimate by 2050 our annual warming will increase by 0.8 to 1.8°C. This means rainfall, everywhere except the far north of Australia, is expected to decrease in the next several decades.

Predictions suggest that across Australia the number of drought months will increase by up to 20% by 2030. By 2070, drought months are projected to increase by up to 80% in south-western Australia.

To put that in perspective for WA, the Water Corporation has adopted a climate scenario that projects a 20% decline in rainfall by 2030 and a 40% decline in rainfall by 2060.

Wow.

So What Do We Do?

The Water Corporation’s strategy is three-fold: reduce water use, develop new sources, and increase water recycling. It’s hard to quarrel with that approach although I believe the emphasis should be on reducing and recycling as I’m not a huge fan of desalination (another topic for another blog). I also think we should all get a whole lot more comfortable with the concept of recycled waste water (ditto).

At One Green Step, our main focus is household water use, which accounts for 11% of water consumption across Australia. Personally I believe we should be working under the same stringent water restrictions they have over East. I also think our water should cost more. The combination of those two changes would quickly have us Sandgropers down to around the levels that Victoria and NSW use.

And stay tuned for more ideas on how to save water around the home.

And thanks for listening.