Water usage

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We monitor how much of our drinking water is used daily across our region.

The data in the graph shown below is generally updated on a weekly basis and represents the daily average consumption of water in megalitres (1 meglitre, or ML, is equal to 1 million litres) from our Hastings water supply.  

Average daily water consumption (in MegaLitres)

 

Water for the future

Our Water team are working hard to make sure we all have access to an efficient and sustainable water supply well into the future. 

We are currently forming an Integrated Water Cycle Management (IWCM) Strategy to help us to make plans based on what we have achieved, what gaps we have and the lessons we have learnt along the way.

Future planning and investigations

Our team are investigating:

  • River water storage and treatment
  • Recycled water for new developments and commercial use.
  • Water sensitive and efficient urban design 
  • Alternative water sources 
  • Additional off-creek dam storage

As more people move to the area, we need to make sure our secure yield grows to match. Secure yield is the amount of water we can supply each year without impacting the river and natural environment. The size of our pipes and storage facilities are also considered when calculating the secure yield.

When we make plans for the future of our water, we look at:

  • The estimated population growth
  • The estimated water demand per person
  • Potential climate change impacts, and
  • Water system planning options.

Some of the figures we use for future planning to 2050 include:

  • 4.3% increase in water use
  • 10% decrease in river flows
  • 1.5 degree increase in temperatures
  • 3.5% decrease in rainfall
  • 6% increase in evaporation.
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