Water saving no drop in the ocean

A new rooftop weather station at Casuarina campus could help save up to 84 megalitres of water a year – enough to fill more than 33 Olympic swimming pools.

The RainWise weather station, installed by Power and Water’s Living Water Smart team, will share data with smart irrigation controllers around the campus to automatically adjust water use based on rain, wind, humidity and temperature readings. 

Living Water Smart Program Manager Jethro Laidlaw said that rainfall in the Darwin region can be highly varied.

“Having a weather station on site that directly communicates with the smart irrigation controller is a great help in efficient water use,” he said.

“Smart irrigation controllers can reduce labour costs involved with manually adjusting irrigation; they can be controlled remotely by a tablet or smart phone from anywhere; and they calculate how much water you have saved through altered schedules.”

CDU and Living Water Smart have partnered to conduct water efficiency works, including installing data loggers and a ring main to detect and monitor leaks, and facilitating a detailed water management plan for Casuarina campus.