Water use / water in the economy

  • Natural inputs of water resources to the economy–nearly all from surface water–increased from 2013–14 to 2016–17, peaking in 2015–16.
  • Households use around 70% of distributed water, and generate approximately 75% of wastewater collected.
  • Around 70% of flows are returned to the environment from the economy, most of which are treated wastewater flows.
  • The value of the ecosystem service of water provisioning increased every year from 2013–14 to 2016–17, while revenue from sales of water remained fairly constant over this period.

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Physical supply and use accounts

Introduction

  • The physical water supply and use accounts, using the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting framework, describe water flows in physical units within the economy. These accounts describe the initial abstraction of water from the environment by the economy (i.e. by water utilities and other water users) and its supply and use within the economy, through to its final discharge back to the environment (e.g. as treated wastewater by the sewerage industry).
  • The physical supply and use tables are separated into three main components:
    • flows from the environment to the economy (natural inputs), including surface water, groundwater and rainwater (delivered through rainwater tanks);
    • flows within the economy (products), including distributed water, reused water and wastewater;
    • flows from the economy to the environment (return flows), including flows to surface water and groundwater.
  • For the full physical water supply and use tables in spreadsheet format, please see the Downloads section of the publication.

 

Natural inputs

  • During 2016-17, the total natural inputs from all water resources were 55,120 ML, with more than 95% from surface water. The total natural inputs of water to the economy increased by 6.3% between 2013-14 and 2016-17.

Figure W1 Natural inputs of water by water resource by year

 

  • Approximately 90% of total natural water inputs in 2016-17 was surface water abstracted by Icon Water from the region's major reservoirs for distribution to households and industry. The remaining 10%, abstracted by Other industries for their own use, came mainly from rivers.
  • 1,254 ML of groundwater was extracted in 2016-17. The majority was extracted by Other industries (90%), followed by agriculture (6%), and households (4%).

 

Figure W2 Comparison of total natural water inputs and total distributed water by year

 

Use of distributed water

  • Distributed water is water supplied by a water utility to other users.
  • Households were the main users of distributed water, accounting in 2016–17 for 68% of the Canberra region's total water use.
  • In 2016–17, 94% of all water use was distributed water.

Figure W3 Breakdown of distributed water use by households / industry by year

 

Use of reused water

  • Reused water is wastewater that is on-supplied to another user (with or without treatment). Households and industries in the Canberra region used 3,392 ML of reused water in 2016-17, a small increase of 2.9% (96 ML) from 2015-16. The sewerage industry was the main user of reused water, using more than 95% for purposes such as irrigation of their own grounds.

Figure W4 Total reused water use volume by year

 

Wastewater collection

  • The amount of wastewater generated by households and industry in the Canberra region was 40,821 ML in 2016-17, an increase of 5.6% or 2,175 ML from 2015-16. About 75% of wastewater was generated by households and 25% was produced by industry.

Figure W5 Breakdown of wastewater generated by households / industry by year

 

Returns to the environment

  • Return flows are flows from the economy to either surface water or groundwater resources. The majority of return flows are treated wastewater flows.
  • In 2016-17, 41,050 ML of water was returned to the environment, an increase of 6.6% or 2,549 ML from the previous year. The decrease was driven by the increase of surface water return inflows (8.6% or 2,924 ML), which was offset by the increase in groundwater return flows or leakage (8.4% or 375 ML).

Figure W6 Return flows to surface water / groundwater by year

 

Consumption

  • According to SEEA, water that is “consumed” by an economic unit (e.g. business/organisation) is water that has been incorporated into products, evaporated or transpired while being used by that unit. Consumption excludes water distributed by the unit to other economic units as well as water that is returned to the environment (e.g. via treated wastewater returns or pipes leaking to the groundwater system). In the physical supply and use tables water consumption is estimated by calculating total use less total supply.
  • The water consumed by households and industry was 14,070 ML in 2016-17, a decrease of 16% from 2015-16.

 

Links between the Asset Account tables and the Physical Supply and Use tables

  • There are several points of intersection between the water asset and physical supply and use accounts:
    • the volume of water abstracted from the environment (surface water and groundwater) by the economy;
    • wastewater collected (usually by the water supply industry);
    • return flows from the economy to the environment (surface water and groundwater).
  • For example, for 2016-17:
    • In Table 1.1 (see the Downloads section), the asset account, total abstractions/diversions from surface water and groundwater for the Canberra region were 52,766 ML (cell E18) and 1,254 ML (cell F18), respectively; these figures correspond with Table 2.1 (see the Downloads section), the physical supply and use table, in cells L9 (52,766 ML) and L10 (1,254 ML).
    • In Table 1.1, the asset account, the total volume of wastewater collected (by the urban water system) was 40,821 ML (cell G10); this figure corresponds with Table 2.1, the physical supply and use table, in cell L16 (40,821 ML).
    • In Table 1.1, the asset account, total return flows from the economy to surface water and groundwater in the Canberra region were 36,971 ML (cell E10) and 4,079 ML (cell F10), respectively; these figures correspond with Table 2.1, the physical supply and use table, in cells L19 (36,971 ML) and L20 (4,079 ML).

 

Monetary supply and use accounts

Introduction

  • The monetary supply and use accounts, using the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting framework, present aggregates of all available quantitative monetary data (dollars) in terms of the supply and use of water within the economy as well the valuation of natural inputs. /li>
  • Ecosystem services are the many and varied benefits that humans freely gain from the natural environment and from properly-functioning ecosystems. One such service is “Water provisioning”, defined in this publication, in physical terms, by the runoff or water yield (including precipitation) from the catchments within the Canberra region, which provide inflows to the major reservoirs (Keith et al., 2016).
  • Although the ecosystem services of water provisioning is not generally included as a component of SEEA water supply and use flow accounts, it is a significant service provided to society. The water provided by this service is used (abstracted) by the water supply industry as an input to the production of water supplied and used in the economy and is therefore valuable information for inclusion in water accounts. 
  • The replacement cost method (i.e. the amount that an entity would have to pay to replace an asset at the present time) was used to value the water provisioning services, broadly following the method recommended by Edens and Graveland (2014). The value of the ecosystem water provisioning service was estimated by calculating the volume of inflows into major reservoirs and then multiplying this by the market price of water supplied in the Canberra region. 
  • For the full monetary water supply and use tables in spreadsheet format, please see the Downloads section of the publication.

 

Valuation of natural inputs and supply of water 

  • In the Canberra region the value of the water provisioning service increased from $633 million in 2013-14 to $896 million in 2016-17, while the revenue from sales of water by the water supply industry was stable at about $175 million during the same period.

Figure W7 Total valuation of ecosystems services and supply of water by year

 

Valuation of intermediate consumption and final use

  • Total revenue from the sales of water and the provision of water, wastewater and sewerage services in the Canberra region decreased slightly in 2016-17 (by 2.1% or $6.3 million). All of this revenue is from the water supply, sewerage and drainage services industry, with 60% of revenue coming from the supply of water, and the rest for wastewater and sewerage services
  • Households spent $124 million on distributed water in 2016-17 (similar to 2015-16), while industry spent $52 million in 2016-17, a 9% decrease (driven by Other industries) from 2015-16.

Figure W8 Valuation of water use by industries and households by year