Average Water Use in Australia

Average Water Use and Cost In Australia.

Average Australian water and sewerage bills for 2011-2012.

Annual $ – Council area

• $1,133.86 – Brisbane PDF for Brisbane
• $1,141.97 – Lockyer Valley PDF for Lockyer Valley
• $1,178.47 – Sunshine Coast PDF for Sunshine Coast
• $1,196.94 – Somerset (Kilcoy) PDF for Somerset (Kilcoy)
• $1,254.60 – Moreton Bay (Redcliffe) PDF for Moreton Bay (Redcliffe)
• $1,336.63 – Ipswich PDF for Ipswich
• $1,358.20 – Moreton Bay (Caboolture) PDF for Moreton Bay (Caboolture)
• $1,363.69 – Scenic Rim PDF for Scenic Rim
• $1,369.77 – Redland PDF for Redland
• $1,386.69 – Moreton Bay (Pine Rivers) PDF for Moreton Bay (Pine Rivers)
• $1,419.41 – Logan PDF for Logan
• $1,476.16 – Gold Coast PDF for Gold Coast

Figures based on a three person household using 180 litres per person per day, equivalent to 200 kilolitres per year, and supplied by the Queensland Water Commission www.qwc.qld.gov.au

Average Australian daily residential water use (litres per person per day)
July 2010 to June 2011.

• 163 Litres. All South East Queensland
• 139 Litres. Central SEQ
• 183 Litres. Gold Coast
• 115 Litres. Scenic Rim
• 172 Litres. Redland
• 179 Litres. Sunshine Coast

www.qwc.qld.gov.au/security/pdf/seq-water-strategy-ar2011.pdf

Australian Water Costs vary by each state and /or water authority.

An Example of Water Prices in 2016-17, for the ACT.

$101.48 Annual Fixed Fee for Water Supply
$529.38 Annual Fixed Fee for Sewerage
$ 2.61 per kL for the first 548 litres per day
then
$ 5.24 per kL for the excess over 548 litres per day

---

Sponsor ai10

---

This, when calculated for a family using 500 litres per day, would be: $1,107 per year
or, if using 900 litres per day would be: $1,721 per year

A similar charge for one of the Queensland water suppliers would be:

500 litres per day would be: $ 859 per year
900 litres per day would be: $1,455 per year

Confusion can arise when looking at the Queensland water charges as a local authority water supply charge may be quoted as:
Up to 74kL per quarter $0.26 per kL

That is substantially lower than the $2.61 per kL quoted by the first example from the ACT.
However, the QLD state governent make a seperate charge of over $2 per kL

Water usage.

The amount of water that the average Australian uses for residential purposes has been changing over the years, especially during the drought periods.

Various previous figures are available, and include:

2002

493 Litres Average Water Use – Australia. Per person per day
http://www.data360.org/dataset.aspx?Data_Set_Id=2707

2004

Litres per day consumption, per person.

455 Adelaide
501 Brisbane
444 Canberra
348 Gold Coast
378 Melbourne
430 Newcastle
408 Perth
414 Sydney

These figures have been corrected figures for Litres per day following comment by Tim Laidler.

http://www.environment.gov.au/soe/2006/publications/drs/indicator/335/index.html

2008/09

Perth: 280 Litres Average Water Use. Per person per day http://www.watercorporation.com.au/d/dams_storage.cfm

2010

• Melbourne: 151 Litres Average Water Use. Per person per day http://www.target155.vic.gov.au
• Redland: 153 Litres Average Water Use. Per person per day http://www.qwc.qld.gov.au/

2011

• Melbourne: 140-150 Litres Average Water Use. Per person per day http://www.melbournewater.com.au
• Redland: 172 Litres Average Water Use. Per person per day http://www.qwc.qld.gov.au/

The Riverina Water County Council in NSW quotes: “The current average daily water consumption is 340 litres per person, or 900 litres per household” and gives this breakdown of the average daily Household use: