Leading by example: smart water management across the NT Government

In 2024, the NT Government introduced its four-year Water Demand Management Strategy for the greater Darwin region with the aim of encouraging water-wise strategies and improving conservation.

Under the strategy, all government agencies are working toward a 20% reduction in water use by 2027–28 and have committed to developing tailored water demand management plans. The target is certainly ambitious, but deliberately so. If achieved, it will save the Territory 1.4 billion litres of water and $3.1 million annually.

“Reducing water use in all areas is important to ensure water security,” said Stephanie Hawkins, Director of Community and Stakeholder Engagement at the Office of Water Security (OWS).

“Reducing water use saves money and increases water security for all Territorians.”

The strategy builds on a proven track record. Over the past decade, the Territory’s Living Water Smart program has helped households and businesses in the Darwin region voluntarily reduce water use by around 20%.

“Households and businesses have shown us what is possible. It seems reasonable that government agencies aim to achieve similar outcomes,” Hawkins said

HOW IT WORKS

Rather than imposing a single prescriptive model, the strategy asks each government agency to develop a tailored water demand management plan suited to its assets, risks and operational realities. The OWS and Power and Water Corporation (Power and Water) support agencies to put their plan in place by establishing a framework that supports their operations.

This includes best-practice templates, guides for water efficiency measures, and irrigation guidance, backed by practical training to support early leak detection and easy water efficiency measures.

“Over the coming months, we will deliver upskilling workshops to agency-nominated water efficiency ambassadors and site champions," Hawkins said.

Training focuses on interpreting water-use data, identifying and addressing leaks and understanding water efficiency measures.

Agencies then adapt the plan to their own operational needs, empowering their ambassadors and champions to identify areas where they can reduce water use, including verges and green areas, and assistance with upgraded technology, including the installation of smart meters.

MEASURING PROGRESS

Hawkins said robust monitoring underpins the strategy’s credibility.

“Agency ambassadors and site champions will monitor water use through validated water meter data. Water use will be compared to the baseline based on a five-year average,” she said.

OWS and Power and Water provide training and resources, while OWS collates agency data to assess and report progress toward the 20% target. Agencies will ideally begin to include this data in their annual reporting, embedding water efficiency into their governance. While planning frameworks are important, early momentum has come from visible, practical measures.

One measure has been the deployment of data loggers and smart meters. Data loggers installed on meters provide water use data at 15-minute intervals, allowing agencies to respond to problems as they occur.

“The impact of the installation of data loggers and smart meters and the amount of savings generated through identifying and addressing leaks quickly has been a big surprise,” Hawkins said.

In public housing, the scheme has been particularly effective. Smart meters have been installed on buildings, and Power and Water sends regular leak reports to the relevant departments, resulting in savings of 1.2 gigalitres of water, and $3 million since the project began in 2024.

A similar project delivered in schools has also seen promising results. Delivered in tandem with Power and Water’s ‘That’s My Water!’ educational program, water efficiency strategies were introduced across the 20 schools with the highest water consumption in Greater Darwin.

All schools achieved at least a 10% reduction in water use compared to their five-year average, with total savings for the Department of Education and Training calculated at $244,000.

SIMPLIFYING STRATEGY

Hawkins said two challenges for the program are the “cost element related to infrastructure, and challenges with behaviour change, particularly given Darwin’s transient population.”

While infrastructure upgrades can deliver rapid gains, consistent conservation practices are harder to embed. The response has been to prioritise easy wins that reduce reliance on ongoing behaviour.

In addition to native gardens, there is a focus on investing in best-practice irrigation guides, leak detection and water literacy, accompanied by training to simplify decision-making.

The strategy also aligns with broader efficiency settings, including the Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards (WELS) scheme, which saved an estimated 3.6 gigalitres of water in the Territory in 2025, resulting in $19.6 million in bill savings. By 2045, those annual savings are projected to be between 6 and 9.5 GL.

EMERGING LESSONS

Beyond water savings, one of the most significant outcomes so far has been widespread collaboration between agencies.

“Bringing government together to unite on this issue has been a game changer,” Hawkins said.

Uptake of the Water Efficiency Ambassador project has exceeded expectations, signalling strong appetite across government for proactive water management and increased budget savings.

Importantly, the strategy does not sit in isolation. It complements the NT Government’s commitment to expand the Living Water Smart program beyond Darwin to Katherine, Tennant Creek and Alice Springs.

This expansion aims to broaden water literacy, and includes region-appropriate communication campaigns, targeted support for high-consuming businesses and government sites, and an expanded water efficiency program for schools.

Already recognised for its initial success as a finalist for the 2026 Australian Water Awards, as the Water Demand Management Strategy moves from planning to implementation, measurable targets, practical tools and collaborative projects can turn government water efficiency from aspiration into action.

This article was originally published in Current magazine. Take a look at the 2026 edition on Indigo.