Perth Weekly Water Update - 26 August 2022
| Target | Actual | |
|---|---|---|
| August water use to date |
15.4 billion litres |
15.7 billion litres |
| Dam storage levels | N/A | 61.5% |
| Monthly streamflow into dams | N/A | 43.14 billion litres |
| August rainfall to date | 132.9mm (August average rainfall 1876-2016) | 167mm |
| 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 642 million litres per day – slightly above the demand forecast of 637 million litres per day.
Daily water use for the last five days
| Date | Actual water use (million litres) | Forecast water use (million litres) |
|---|---|---|
| 25/08/2022 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| 24/08/2022 | 653 | 642 |
| 23/08/2022 | 623 | 642 |
| 22/08/2022 | 636 | 642 |
| 21/08/2022 | 649 | 633 |
| 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 34.6 billion litres of water – which is 0.1 billion litres below 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 61.5 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 57.4 billion litres of streamflow. The post-1975 average for the May to April period (called the streamflow year) is 173.9 billion litres.
Sprinkler roster compliance
Since 1 January 2022, we have taken a total of 3,751 actions (warnings + fines) compared with 4,368 actions for the same period in 2021.
Annual rainfall
Perth has received 554.2mm 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
This week we announced completion of a $320 million expansion to Water Corporation's Groundwater Replenishment Scheme, doubling its recharge capacity to 28 billion litres of water per year - enough to supply 100,000 households.
Groundwater replenishment is the process by which highly treated wastewater undergoes advanced treatment to produce purified water, beyond drinking water standards. The water is then recharged into deep underground aquifers to be mixed with existing groundwater and stored for future abstraction, treatment, and supply to the drinking water network.
When Water Corporation first trialled groundwater replenishment back in 2010, it was truly a pioneering effort - and the first of its kind in Australia. Today, groundwater replenishment accounts for around four per cent of Perth's drinking water supply, and forms part of Water Corporation's three-pronged approach to develop new water sources, reduce water use, and increase water recycling. By 2035, we aim to recycle more than a third (35%) of treated wastewater.
For a closer look at how this process works, watch https://youtu.be/-Bvy4z-Ty1c.