Man wondering

So, why do we need to save water in the Top End?

Good question!  While it may rain a lot in the wet season, only a small percentage of this water actually falls in the Darwin River Dam and surrounding catchment area.  Around two thirds of this water evaporates due to our climate, and we never know how much rain we are going to get from year to year.  Our increasing population over the years has meant increases in our water use, and it might surprise you to know we currently use almost twice as much water as other cities with similar climates.

In Darwin we use more water than can be captured and supplied in the long term.  While Darwin plans for the future, everyone needs to play their part to be water smart.  Find out more by taking a journey through Darwin's water story.

Find out why we need to save water in Darwin

Save water in your garden by checking your local weather.

Living Water Smart HQ

Rainfall in last hour
0.0mm
Rainfall since midnight
19.8mm
Rainfall in last 7 days
51.3mm
Updated on
16 March 2024 at 7:30pm

Stuart Park Primary

Rainfall in last hour
0.0mm
Rainfall since midnight
15.0mm
Rainfall in last 7 days
15.0mm
Updated on
29 February 2024 at 3:16pm

Taminmin College (Humpty Doo)

Rainfall in last hour
0.0mm
Rainfall since midnight
0.0mm
Rainfall in last 7 days
68.6mm
Updated on
19 March 2024 at 5:00pm

Wanguri Primary School

Rainfall in last hour
0.0mm
Rainfall since midnight
0.0mm
Rainfall in last 7 days
61.8mm
Updated on
19 March 2024 at 5:14pm

Marrara Sporting Complex

Rainfall in last hour
0.0mm
Rainfall since midnight
0.0mm
Rainfall in last 7 days
47.2mm
Updated on
19 March 2024 at 5:14pm

Wulagi Primary School

Rainfall in last hour
0.0mm
Rainfall since midnight
0.0mm
Rainfall in last 7 days
0.0mm
Updated on
19 March 2024 at 5:14pm

Ludmilla Primary School

Rainfall in last hour
0.0mm
Rainfall since midnight
0.0mm
Rainfall in last 7 days
28.0mm
Updated on
19 March 2024 at 5:14pm

Woodroffe Primary School

Rainfall in last hour
0.0mm
Rainfall since midnight
0.0mm
Rainfall in last 7 days
0.0mm
Updated on
02 March 2024 at 9:11pm

Karama Primary School

Rainfall in last hour
0.0mm
Rainfall since midnight
0.0mm
Rainfall in last 7 days
76.6mm
Updated on
19 March 2024 at 5:14pm

Nightcliff Middle School

Rainfall in last hour
0.0mm
Rainfall since midnight
0.0mm
Rainfall in last 7 days
47.5mm
Updated on
19 March 2024 at 5:13pm

Sanderson Middle School

Rainfall in last hour
0.0mm
Rainfall since midnight
0.0mm
Rainfall in last 7 days
85.9mm
Updated on
19 March 2024 at 5:14pm

Essington School (Nightcliff)

Rainfall in last hour
0.0mm
Rainfall since midnight
0.0mm
Rainfall in last 7 days
92.0mm
Updated on
19 March 2024 at 5:12pm

Casuarina Senior College

Rainfall in last hour
0.0mm
Rainfall since midnight
0.0mm
Rainfall in last 7 days
88.6mm
Updated on
19 March 2024 at 5:12pm

Forrest Parade School (Bellamack)

Rainfall in last hour
0.0mm
Rainfall since midnight
0.0mm
Rainfall in last 7 days
116.1mm
Updated on
19 March 2024 at 5:14pm

Bees Creek Primary School

Rainfall in last hour
0.0mm
Rainfall since midnight
0.0mm
Rainfall in last 7 days
102.8mm
Updated on
19 March 2024 at 5:14pm

Leanyer School

Rainfall in last hour
0.0mm
Rainfall since midnight
0.0mm
Rainfall in last 7 days
68.1mm
Updated on
19 March 2024 at 5:14pm

Dripstone Middle School

Rainfall in last hour
0.0mm
Rainfall since midnight
0.0mm
Rainfall in last 7 days
0.0mm
Updated on
19 March 2024 at 5:14pm

Driver Primary

Rainfall in last hour
0.0mm
Rainfall since midnight
0.0mm
Rainfall in last 7 days
8.4mm
Updated on
19 March 2024 at 5:14pm

Girraween Primary School

Rainfall in last hour
0.0mm
Rainfall since midnight
0.0mm
Rainfall in last 7 days
124.2mm
Updated on
19 March 2024 at 5:14pm

Jingili Primary School

Rainfall in last hour
0.0mm
Rainfall since midnight
0.0mm
Rainfall in last 7 days
89.2mm
Updated on
19 March 2024 at 5:14pm

Wagaman Primary School

Rainfall in last hour
0.0mm
Rainfall since midnight
0.0mm
Rainfall in last 7 days
93.4mm
Updated on
19 March 2024 at 5:14pm

Gray Primary School

Rainfall in last hour
0.0mm
Rainfall since midnight
0.0mm
Rainfall in last 7 days
23.6mm
Updated on
19 March 2024 at 5:14pm

Parap Primary School

Rainfall in last hour
0.0mm
Rainfall since midnight
0.0mm
Rainfall in last 7 days
84.1mm
Updated on
19 March 2024 at 5:14pm

St Mary's Catholic Primary School (Darwin)

Rainfall in last hour
0.0mm
Rainfall since midnight
0.0mm
Rainfall in last 7 days
0.0mm
Updated on
19 March 2024 at 5:14pm

Milkwood Steiner School (Berrimah)

Rainfall in last hour
0.0mm
Rainfall in last 7 days
0.0mm
Updated on
19 March 2024 at 5:14pm

St Paul’s Nightcliff

Rainfall in last hour
0.0mm
Rainfall in last 7 days
24.1mm
Updated on
19 March 2024 at 5:14pm

Malak Primary School

Rainfall in last hour
0.0mm
Rainfall in last 7 days
25.4mm
Updated on
19 March 2024 at 5:15pm

Save water in your garden this dry season

Water Saving Tips
There are many different types of sprinklers and each one applies water at different rates, making it hard for you to work out how long to water your lawn and plants to reach the recommended 10 mm of water. A catch can test can help!
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Meet Craig from Pro North Plumbing. Craig from Pro North Plumbing is not only a plumber, but he is also an expert in all things irrigation! He mostly installs new irrigation for residential properties [...]
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Meet Craig from Pro North Plumbing. Craig from Pro North Plumbing is not only a plumber, but he is also an expert in all things irrigation! He mostly installs new irrigation for residential properties [...]
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To make your existing irrigation system ‘smart’, the first step is to determine what type of irrigation system you currently have. Generally there are two types: Standard (central automated) [...]
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If you’ve noticed pools of water in your garden or dry patches of lawn, you may have a problem with your irrigation system. Here’s what you need to check.
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During the Dry Season your lawns, garden beds and native plants have to deal with six to seven months of no rain at all, so it is important to know how to keep them healthy without over watering. When [...]
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Meet Peter from Residential Irrigation. Peter has lived in the Territory for over 43 years, with 10 years in the bush and the last 30 years in Virginia. “The Top End is just great! Laid back lifestyle [...]
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Are water tanks the best way to save water in Darwin? Our research tells us that whilst water tanks are a great way to capture rain water for later use, installing a rainwater tank is generally not [...]
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Meet Tony from Universal Plants NT. Meet Tony from Universal Plants NT. Tony’s an old hand at this (in fact he’s been in the horticulture industry for 44 years!) and has experience in all aspects of [...]
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A smart irrigation controller automatically adjusts watering based on local weather conditions. For example when it rains the smart irrigation controller will reduce or turn off your irrigation to [...]
Water Saving Tips
Many people struggle to know how much to water their garden. Do you water for 20 or 40 minutes? How many days per week? What if you have a mix of natives and exotics? It sure can be confusing, but it doesn’t have to be. There are some general rules of thumb to help you work it all out.
Q&A
An online tool that provide a fantastic resource of localised weather data, helping you to make smart decisions about efficient watering in the garden, based on the rainfall in your suburb.
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Meet Jack from Water Dynamics... Jack’s been enjoying everything the Territory has to offer for the last 30 years, in particular the great landscapes and amazing dry seasons of Darwin. He’s qualified [...]