Australian Bureau of Statistics
Celebrating the International Year of Statistics 2013

• Summary
• Downloads
• Explanatory Notes
• Related Information
• Past & Future Releases

BULK WATER
 
Bulk water is water supplied from one water provider to another and can include either potable, reuse, or raw water. These bulk supplies are typically 'wholesale supply' arrangements between water providers, with the recipient then distributing to final customers according to a 'retail supply' arrangement.
 
In 2009–10, 3,093 GL of bulk distributed water was supplied by water providers. Bulk water distribution was largest in New South Wales, accounting for half of the Australian total (see table below).
 
The supply of bulk reuse water is relatively small, but is a developing activity in Australia. In 2009–10, a total of 38 GL of reuse water was supplied for use to different water providers. Victoria accounted for half (50%) of total bulk reuse water supplied in Australia, with Queensland (47%) accounting for most of the remainder.
 

BULK WATER SUPPLIED(a), Distributed and reuse water— 2009–10
	NSW	Vic.	Qld	SA	WA	Tas.	NT	ACT	Aust.
	ML	ML	ML	ML	ML	ML	ML	ML	ML
Distributed	1 544 077	462 704	839 788	503	241 680	96	-	3 716	3 092 564
Reuse	5	19 151	18 024	787	-	-	-	-	37 967
Total	1 544 082	481 855	857 812	1 290	241 680	96	-	3 716	3 130 531
(a) Water supplied from one water provider to another.

 
 
WATER LOSSES
 
"Water losses" refer to water that enters the water distribution system of a water provider but does not reach the end users. Water losses can be attributed to seepage, leakage, evaporation (excluding evaporation from water storages), meter inaccuracies and theft. Note that this definition is similar to the definition for "unaccounted water" in the National Performance Report 2009–10: Rural Service Providers (National Water Commission, April 2011).

In the Water Account Australia, losses are assigned to the Water supply industry, following the framework outlined in the System of Environmental-Economic Accounts for Water (SEEA–Water). This enables a consistent treatment of losses and does not affect industry (e.g. Agriculture, Mining, Manufacturing) water consumption intensity measures.

Water losses are difficult to measure and consequently the estimation of losses by water suppliers is problematic. Industry guidelines have been established for estimating losses and it is hoped that over time estimation of losses will improve.

In 2009–10, the total volume of water losses (or unaccounted water) in Australia was 1,803 GL, which is about 20% of the gross water supplied (which includes bulk transfers to other water providers, see Glossary).
 
Of the States and Territories, New South Wales reported the highest percentage of losses as a proportion of gross water supplied (29%), followed by Victoria (20%) and Western Australia (14%).
 

DISTRIBUTION LOSSES— 2009–10
		NSW	Vic.	Qld	SA	WA	Tas.	NT	ACT	Aust.
Volume of losses
	Urban water providers (ML)	126 275	81 107	73 280	34 992	38 318	7 908	9 787	3 778	375 445
	Irrigation/rural water providers (ML)	846 586	398 251	106 050	12 917	59 377	4 410	-	-	1 427 591
	Total (ML)	972 861	479 358	179 330	47 909	97 695	12 318	9 787	3 778	1 803 036
Losses as proportion of distributed water supply(a)
	Urban water providers (%)	13	8	11	16	8	9	17	8	11
	Irrigation/rural water providers (%)	35	29	8	8	24	6	-	-	26
	Total (%)	29	20	9	13	14	8	17	8	20
(a)  Calculated against gross water supply including water supplied to other water providers and customers, losses, own use by water providers, and environmental flows.

DISTRIBUTION LOSSES(a)— 2009–10