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.

Girraween Primary School

Rainfall in last hour
0.0mm
Rainfall since midnight
9.1mm
Rainfall in last 7 days
9.1mm
Updated on
05 October 2024 at 11:59am

Forrest Parade School (Bellamack)

Rainfall in last hour
0.0mm
Rainfall since midnight
1.8mm
Rainfall in last 7 days
1.8mm
Updated on
05 October 2024 at 11:59am

Bees Creek Primary School

Rainfall in last hour
0.0mm
Rainfall since midnight
1.5mm
Rainfall in last 7 days
1.5mm
Updated on
05 October 2024 at 11:59am

Stuart Park Primary

Rainfall in last hour
0.0mm
Rainfall since midnight
0.0mm
Rainfall in last 7 days
0.0mm
Updated on
05 October 2024 at 11:58am

Essington School (Nightcliff)

Rainfall in last hour
0.0mm
Rainfall since midnight
0.0mm
Rainfall in last 7 days
0.0mm
Updated on
05 October 2024 at 11:55am

Casuarina Senior College

Rainfall in last hour
0.0mm
Rainfall since midnight
0.0mm
Rainfall in last 7 days
0.0mm
Updated on
05 October 2024 at 11:33am

Anula Primary School

Rainfall in last hour
0.0mm
Rainfall since midnight
0.0mm
Rainfall in last 7 days
0.0mm
Updated on
05 October 2024 at 11:59am

Leanyer School

Rainfall in last hour
0.0mm
Rainfall since midnight
0.0mm
Rainfall in last 7 days
0.0mm
Updated on
05 October 2024 at 11:59am

Darwin Middle School

Rainfall in last hour
0.0mm
Rainfall since midnight
0.0mm
Rainfall in last 7 days
0.0mm
Updated on
05 October 2024 at 5:59am

Dripstone Middle School

Rainfall in last hour
0.0mm
Rainfall since midnight
0.0mm
Rainfall in last 7 days
0.0mm
Updated on
05 October 2024 at 11:59am

Wagaman Primary School

Rainfall in last hour
0.0mm
Rainfall since midnight
0.0mm
Rainfall in last 7 days
0.0mm
Updated on
05 October 2024 at 11:59am

Driver Primary

Rainfall in last hour
0.0mm
Rainfall since midnight
0.0mm
Rainfall in last 7 days
0.3mm
Updated on
05 October 2024 at 11:59am

Jingili Primary School

Rainfall in last hour
0.0mm
Rainfall since midnight
0.0mm
Rainfall in last 7 days
0.0mm
Updated on
05 October 2024 at 11:59am

Malak Primary School

Rainfall in last hour
0.0mm
Rainfall since midnight
0.0mm
Rainfall in last 7 days
0.0mm
Updated on
05 October 2024 at 12:00pm

Charles Darwin University, Casuarina

Rainfall in last hour
0.0mm
Rainfall since midnight
0.0mm
Rainfall in last 7 days
0.0mm
Updated on
05 October 2024 at 11:59am

Taminmin College (Humpty Doo)

Rainfall in last hour
0.0mm
Rainfall since midnight
0.0mm
Rainfall in last 7 days
0.0mm
Updated on
05 October 2024 at 11:15am

Ludmilla Primary School

Rainfall in last hour
0.0mm
Rainfall since midnight
0.0mm
Rainfall in last 7 days
0.0mm
Updated on
05 October 2024 at 11:57am

Wanguri Primary School

Rainfall in last hour
0.0mm
Rainfall since midnight
0.0mm
Rainfall in last 7 days
0.0mm
Updated on
05 October 2024 at 11:59am

Karama Primary School

Rainfall in last hour
0.0mm
Rainfall since midnight
0.0mm
Rainfall in last 7 days
0.0mm
Updated on
05 October 2024 at 11:59am

Wulagi Primary School

Rainfall in last hour
0.0mm
Rainfall since midnight
0.0mm
Rainfall in last 7 days
0.0mm
Updated on
05 October 2024 at 11:59am

Nightcliff Middle School

Rainfall in last hour
0.0mm
Rainfall since midnight
0.0mm
Rainfall in last 7 days
0.0mm
Updated on
05 October 2024 at 11:59am

Moil Primary School

Rainfall in last hour
0.0mm
Rainfall since midnight
0.0mm
Rainfall in last 7 days
0.0mm
Updated on
05 October 2024 at 11:59am

Gray Primary School

Rainfall in last hour
0.0mm
Rainfall in last 7 days
0.0mm
Updated on
05 October 2024 at 11:59am

St Mary's Catholic Primary School (Darwin)

Rainfall in last hour
0.0mm
Rainfall in last 7 days
0.0mm
Updated on
05 October 2024 at 11:59am

Parap Primary School

Rainfall in last hour
0.0mm
Rainfall in last 7 days
0.0mm
Updated on
05 October 2024 at 11:59am

Marrara Sporting Complex

Rainfall in last hour
0.0mm
Rainfall in last 7 days
0.0mm
Updated on
05 October 2024 at 12:00pm

St Paul’s Nightcliff

Rainfall in last hour
0.0mm
Rainfall in last 7 days
0.0mm
Updated on
05 October 2024 at 11:59am

Sanderson Middle School

Rainfall in last hour
0.0mm
Rainfall in last 7 days
0.0mm
Updated on
05 October 2024 at 12:00pm

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!
Q&A
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 [...]
Q&A
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 [...]
Water Saving Tips
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) [...]
Water Saving Tips
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.
Water Saving Tips
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 [...]
Latest News
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 [...]
Water Saving Tips
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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Meet Peter from Austec Irrigation. Moving here with his family in 1963, we think it’s safe to say he’s a true blue Territorian! Having been in the industry now for 30 years there isn’t much Peter hasn [...]
Water Saving Tips
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.
Latest News
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 [...]