Metro weekly water update 4 January 2019

	Target	Actual
January water use to date	4 billion litres	4 billion litres
Dam storage levels	N/A	54 per cent
Cumulative streamflow into dams	181 billion litres (Post 1975 May to January average)	146 billion litres
January rainfall to date	16.7 mm (January mean rainfall 1994-2017)   9.7 mm (January average rainfall 1876-2016)	1.8 mm

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note: 1 billion litres = approx. 400 Olympic swimming pools.  Please note these figures are rounded (except for rainfall) to the nearest whole number.

 

Water use

 

Average daily water use over the last week was 940 million litres, which was slightly below the forecast of 1.031 billion litres.

 

Since 1 July 2018, we have used 137 billion litres of water - this is 5 billion litres above what we had forecast for this period.  It’s worth noting our forecast for winter/spring was more ambitious than previous years and actual total water use is around the same as this time last year.

 

Dam level (total for 15 dams)

 

The dam storage level has remained steady over the past week sitting at 54 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).  Dam levels are no longer an accurate indicator of the status of Perth's water supply situation.

 

Streamflow (total for 15 dams)

 

From 1 May 2018 to 3 January 2019 the dams have received 146 billion litres of streamflow.  The post-1975 average for the May to January period is 181 billion litres.

 

Sprinkler roster compliance

 

The two-day-a-week sprinkler roster now applies across Perth, so make sure your sprinklers are programmed for your rostered water days and only to come on once, either before 9am or after 6pm.

 

Our team of inspectors issued zero warnings and 38 fines in the past week. 

 

Annual rainfall

 

Perth has received 1.8 mm of rainfall since 1 January.  Average rainfall for January (1994-2017) is 16.7 mm.

 

In 2018, Perth received an annual total of 741.6 mm of rainfall, which was slightly higher than the cumulative average (1994-2017) of 732.8 mm.

 

General water news

 

The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast maximum temperatures of above 30 degrees for the next six days, with a top of 37 degrees on Sunday.

 

Water use peaks during hot weather, with up to 1 billion litres of water used across Perth on a hot summer’s day.

 

If you do have to drench your garden to keep it alive during warmer weather, it could be time to consider something more practical and waterwise. Visit the Garden Design page of our website to find waterwise ideas for your garden, suited to the area where you live in Western Australia.