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Table showing target and actual water use, dam levels, streamflow and rainfall
  Target Actual
January water use to date 10 billion litres 10 billion litres
Dam storage levels NA 47%
Weekly streamflow into dams NA 44 billion litres
January rainfall to date 16.7mm (Jan average rainfall 1994-2017) 1.8mm
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 1,004 million litres per day, which was below the forecast of 1,042 million litres.

Daily water use for the last 5 days

Table showing daily water use for the last 5 days
Date Actual water use (million litres) Forecast water use (million litres)
10/01/2020 989 1045
09/01/2020 1005 1046
08/012020 1025 1046
07/01/2020 1009 1046
06/12/2020 1115 1037
Note, water use is calculated up to 8am each day for the previous 24 hour period.

Since 1 July 2019, we have used 151.1 billion litres of water – which is around 6 billion litres over the forecast for this period.

Dam levels (total for 15 dams)

The dam storage levels have dropped slightly this week and are sitting at a combined 47.1 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 2019 the dams have received 44.1 billion litres of streamflow. The post-1975 average for the May to April period (called the streamflow year) is 183.9 billion litres.

Sprinkler roster compliance

The two-day a week sprinkler roster now applies. Since 1 January 2020, we have taken a total of 258 actions (warnings + fines) compared with 193 actions for the same period in 2019.

Annual rainfall

Perth has received 1.80 mm of rainfall since 1 January 2019. The average (1994-2017) rainfall for the January period is 16.7 mm.

General water news

The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast maximum temperatures of above 30 degrees for the next six days, with a top of 37 degrees on Tuesday.

Water use peaks during hot weather, with up to 1 billion litres of water used across Perth on a hot summer’s day.

If you do have to drench your garden to keep it alive during warmer weather, it could be time to consider something more practical and waterwise. Visit our gardening advice section to find waterwise ideas for your garden, suited to the area where you live in Western Australia.


Media Enquiries:

Contact: Clare Lugar

Position: Manager Media and Strategic Communications

Phone: (08) 9420 2555