Protecting what’s precious in the the Red Centre
Where does water come from in the Alice Springs region?
Drinking water for Alice Springs comes from natural underground water deposits called aquifers. This water is pumped to the surface, treated to meet Australian Drinking Water Guidelines and stored in tanks ready to be used in your home.
The Amadeus Basin, located south of the Alice Springs township, provides the region's drinking water. Within the basin we source water from the Mereenie, Pacoota and Shannon aquifers. These aquifers are relatively narrow and deep, so our pumps have to reach approximately 185m beneath the surface to access the water.
Our underground water supplies do not replenish quickly. It is estimated for every 100 litres of water we consume, each year only 20 litres is renewed from rainfall. Approximately 300 - 400 years worth of water supply remains in the Amadeus Basin. We need to work together as a community to conserve water and protect our precious supply.
How we use water in the Alice Springs region
In recent years our water consumption has decreased by identifying and fixing leaks, changing our watering patterns and creating more water efficient homes, businesses and public spaces.
We can supply 14 gigalitres of water to Alice Springs per year
You can save water by scheduling watering between 8pm - 8am
Leaks are one of the biggest areas of water waste
We treat our water to ensure it's safe to drink straight from the tap. 
Secure our water supply
As we continue to use water, the depth to our underground aquifers drops by about 0.6 metres per year. Those aquifers only see minimal replenishment as it does not regularly renew through annual rainfall like a river or dam might. This means Power and Water need to drill deeper bores and install new pumping infrastructure to maintain access to groundwater from greater depths.
