National Water Week is an annual awareness week that aims to improve community understanding of water issues in Australia. Held during the third week of October, it is Australia’s only national water awareness week.

As the national coordinator of National Water Week, AWA works with our members and other interested organisations to foster community support and engagement through events, water-related activities and educational resources.

For more information about National Water Week and how to get involved,  please contact Fleur Johnson, Project Manager - School and Community Education, at  fjohnson@awa.asn.au. 

NWW 2012 - Valuing our Water

The vast majority of water accounting for over 98 per cent on the Earth's surface is saline - or salty – water, principally in the oceans. But it is the freshwater resources, such as the water in streams, rivers, lakes, and ground water that provide people, and all life, with most of the water we need to live. Australia is the driest inhabited continent, with a limited supply of fresh water.

Water must be used wisely if there is to be enough to meet the needs of future generations. Awareness about the amount of water used in everyday tasks is the first step in developing a responsible approach to water use. That is why the theme for this year’s National Water Week is ‘Valuing our Water’.

It is the variability and volatility of water in Australia, rather than a general lack of water that causes our water problems. It is times like now, when the dam levels are up, that we should look at the long term by continuing to encourage sound water practices and investment in diverse sources of water – whether these be recycling, desalination inter-basin transfers or demand management.