Talking Water - Kwatye Angkeme
Working together for a more secure water future for Alice Springs.
The Talking Water Collective acknowledges and thanks everyone who contributed to the campaign and the Community Submission to the NT Strategic Water Plan.
View the Community Submission…
Talking Water - Alice Springs Community Submission - NT Strategic Water Plan
The Desert Knowledge Research Institute is assisting the Northern Territory Government’s Department of Environment, Parks and Water Security to address and improve water security in the NT, through a submission covering Alice Springs. This will contribute to the NT’s Strategic Water Plan, which will set the agenda on water management through to 2050.
Talking Water: Kwatye Angkeme is facilitated by the Desert Knowledge Research Institute; working with:
- Alice Springs Town Council,
- Arid Lands Environment Centre,
- Central Land Council,
- Lhere Artepe Aboriginal Corporation,
- NT Farmers Association,
- the Northern Territory Government,
- Power and Water Corporation,
- and the people in the Alice Springs Water Control District.
A suite of community engagement activities was held through October and November 2021, to support a multi-level stakeholder response to 10 proposed directions for water security in the Northern Territory.
View the NT’s Strategic Water Plan Directions Paper.
The facts
Source: Living Water Smart in Alice
- We use more than twice as much water as the Australian average.
- Our drinking water comes from underground sources = we are mining our water.
- At present rates, our town water supply will be uneconomical by early/mid-2200s. But climate change and a rise in population means this could happen much sooner.
- We are exhausting water resources that have existed for hundreds of thousands of years.
- Water matters to you, your family, our future.
- We can’t afford to squander our water future.
- We can all be part of a safer water future!
View the FACT SHEET.
Some detailed facts
- Power and Water get our drinking water from the Amadeus Basin using bores (deep narrow wells) at the Roe Creek Borefield. This water is very old, estimated to be from up to 35,000 years ago.
- It is slowly replenished at 2 gigalitres annually, but we use over 9 gigalitres a year.
- The water-table has dropped 6 metres in the last 10 years.
- Alice Springs also has the aquifers formed in the Todd Basin…
- replenishes after a big rain
- too small to support the population
- used for sporting fields and golf club
- must be managed carefully; if it drops too low, river red gums and other vegetation suffer or die - Our water-dependant environment has changed because of differences in land use, a growing population, and accelerating climate change…
- waterholes and swamps have disappeared or been damaged
- weed infestations (buffel grass, couch, etc.)
Past events
Water & People Workshop
Tuesday 2 November 2021; 4:45 pm — 6:30 pm
Council Lawns
Water & Economy Workshop
Tuesday 9 November 2021; 4:30 pm — 6:45 pm
Chamber of Commerce
Water & Environment Workshop
Thursday 11 November 2021; 4:30 pm — 6:30 pm
East Side Community Garden
Community Water Forum
The major event that will bring it together and help generate the Community Submission to the NT Strategic Water Plan consultation.
Thursday 25 November 2021; 4:00 pm — 7:00 pm
Andy McNeill Room, Alice Springs Town Council
NTG Directions Paper
Make a submission to the to help craft the NT Strategic Water Plan that will guide the direction and decision-making around water until 2050.
Friday 4 February 2022
Make a submission
Get informed
Cultural Values Associated with Alice Springs Water — Dick Kimber
A great read that explains how Aboriginal people engage with water and the landscape.
Information and ideas on how to save water and money.
You can have your say
- 1. What can I do to help create a secure water future?
-
- Save water (and money) at home or in your business.
- Get the most value out of the water used.
Farmers: high-value crops, stock water-smart, best-practice irrigation.
Gardeners: use arid-zone plants, water-wise watering.
- Get informed – learn about water use.
- Get involved – contribute to a secure water future. - 2. Who decides how water is managed, regulated and governed?
- The Northern Territory Government. They are NOW seeking input into the ‘NT Strategic Water Plan’.
- 3. Can I have my say?
-
Sure! Read the NT Strategic Water Plan Directions Paper. Make a submission.
Or join upcoming ‘Talking Water’ workshops. Get more informed. Get other perspectives. Contribute to a community submission.
You can have your say on our water future! - 4. What else can WE do together, as a community?
-
A joint effort in 2011-2013 by the community, NT Government, Power and Water, and ALEC called ‘Alice Water Smart’ resulted in a 10-15% decrease in town water use.
It’s time for us to create a new Water Story together.
Stories
A campaign to address Alice Springs’ water future
Feb 18, 2022
A group of local organisations and independent parties join forces to address the town’s water future.
Talking Water: The Past, the Present; and what Future?
Nov 23, 2021
The Talking Water campaign is working to create a more secure water future for Alice Springs.