4616.5.55.001 - Domestic Water Use, Western Australia, Oct 2003  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 06/04/2004   
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MEDIA RELEASE

April 6, 2004
Embargoed: 11:30 AM (AEST)
53/2004
One in four Perth households use bore water:ABS

One in four Perth households used bore water in October 2003 compared with one in ten households in the rest of the state according to an Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) survey released today.

The domestic water use survey for WA households also found that:

  • Only 5% of Perth households used water from a rainwater tank compared with 21% of households in the rest of the state.
  • Most households (82%) used a top loading washing machine and 13% used a front-loading machine.
  • A small proportion (4%) of households with a washing machine did not use it in the week prior to the survey, while 6% reported doing 12 or more loads of washing that week.
  • Less than one-third (29%) of households had a dishwasher, however almost one-quarter (23%) of these households did not use their dishwasher in the week prior to the survey.
  • Over half (58%) of households had a fixed airconditioner. Evaporative fixed airconditioners were used by 41% of these households.
  • Almost three-quarters (72%) of households had only dual flush toilets installed in their dwelling.
  • Just under half (45%) of households had at least one water efficient shower head installed.
  • Reticulation systems and hand-held hoses were used equally for watering gardens/lawns (each method used by 73% of households). Sprinklers were used by 22% of households.
  • Over two-thirds (69%) of households with gardens or lawns used mulch in the 12 months prior to October 2003. A small proportion (3%) of households reported not watering their gardens or lawns.
  • An estimated 126,600 households (17%) had a swimming pool or outdoor spa. More than two-thirds (70%) of these households did not have a pool/spa cover.

Further information is available in Domestic Water Use, Western Australia (cat. no. 4616.5.55.001).