Be Groundwater Wise
Learn about our precious groundwater, garden bores and how to use groundwater wisely
Be Groundwater Wise
Learn about our precious groundwater, garden bores and how to use groundwater wisely
Think climate change. Be waterwise.
Our groundwater is precious and suffering from the impacts of climate change.
Groundwater is a hidden water resource which comes from rain that naturally seeps into the ground and is stored in spaces between soil and rocks, called aquifers.
Climate change means Perth receives less rainfall now than we did a few decades ago, and this means our groundwater is being recharged less than in the past. Less rainfall and less recharge, and increasing demand for groundwater, means Perth’s aquifers have shifted out of balance.
Groundwater is an important source of water for Perth and now makes up 70 per cent of all water used in the region. Besides watering many of our home gardens, groundwater is treated to supply drinking water, keeps our parks and sporting grounds green, and is used by farmers for irrigation.
If you are using a garden bore in Perth, you are sharing Perth’s precious groundwater.
Groundwater also supports our local lakes, wetlands, bushland and urban trees, which help make Perth so attractive and liveable.
Due to climate change, Perth receives a lot less rain than we used to. Sabrina Hahn explains what groundwater is, how it is impacted by climate change and why it is a shared and precious resource.
Watch practical tips from Sabrina Hahn on how we can keep our gardens looking wonderful while being groundwater wise.
Sabrina Hahn on what the most dramatic change has been over her long career in gardening and how to achieve a groundwater wise garden in a drying climate.
The Be Groundwater Wise initiative is part of the Kep Katitjin – Gabi Kaadadjan – Waterwise Perth Action Plan 2 which outlines the next steps towards establishing world-leading waterwise communities for Boorloo (Perth) and Bindjareb (Peel) by 2030. The new, two-year plan further supports the State Government’s ongoing commitment to tackling the impacts of climate change on our precious water resources, through water-saving initiatives and the creation of climate-resilient, liveable urban spaces.
As we face a hotter, drier future because of climate change, wise uses of water include supporting biodiversity and the cooling of our environment. The actions in this second plan help clarify and manage this tension between water savings and investing in the more holistic benefits of waterwise.
