How Living Water Smart works

Living Water Smart is a Power and Water initiative that was first established in 2014 to help the Darwin region save money, deliberately delay costly infrastructure spend and, of course, understand the importance of water saving where we live and play.

This year, we’ve expanded the program to encompass regional areas of the Territory and for a good reason. Did you know that per capita we currently use more water than any other state or territory? Water remains our most precious resource and by working together we can all play a role in reducing our water usage and protecting our future water supply.

Over the years, Living Water Smart has found that the two biggest areas of water wastage across the NT are water leaks and overwatering our gardens. We’ve found this to be true for single dwelling homes, apartment blocks, big and small businesses and organisations, schools, and public green spaces such as parks, ovals and verges.

Leaks

Through specific leak finding programs and with our fleet of mobile water data loggers, we know that around one in eight homes in the NT has a leak. We are responsible for more than 3,000km of water mains, and the sheer size of the network means we won’t always know when a leak happens.

That's where you can help us! The sooner we know about a leak, the less water that is wasted.  It's in everyone's interest to be vigilant and find and fix leaks as quickly as possible. If you see a leak while you’re out and about, you can report it to us here. 

Gardens and Irrigation

We know there’s a challenge when it comes to wrangling with your irrigation system or understanding how much water each plant in our garden need. To support keen gardeners to stay on top of their irrigation system and provide handy tips, we have designed an irrigation guide to help you keep the garden healthy and prevent water saving. The Ultimate Top End Irrigation Guide is now available for download and we are taking expressions of interest for our limited-edition Central Australia irrigation guide. Register your interest by emailing us at savewater@powerwater.com.au. 

Government and Councils

Another key focus area for Living Water Smart is collaborating our efforts to support government and councils to ensure our public green spaces are being watered efficiently. We do this by providing education to government, council and large businesses in areas identified to have a high water consumption. We are currently supporting the installation of data loggers at identified businesses and council areas to track water usage. 

Schools

We haven't forgotten about our youngest residents and the impact they will play over the coming years. We've recently hit the 10-year milestone of our That's My Water! STEM school curriculum with over 7,500 students now knowing their local water story and the importance of saving water to protect our environment. This program was designed in collaboration with the Department of Education. We also help schools save water and money by checking for leaks, and working with school gardeners and contractors to ensure all the gardens and ovals have the most efficient irrigation schedule.

For more information contact Living Water Smart.