Rural water-use statistics
Statistics: the only science that enables different experts using the same figures to draw different conclusions (Evan Esar, 1899-1995)
The following statistics have been compiled from the Water account Australia 2004–05 (ABS, 2006) and Water Use on Australian Farms 2006-07 (ABS, 2008).
- Water resources—Australia
- Water use by sector—Queensland
- Water use by commodity—Queensland
- Water use by irrigated area—Queensland
- Irrigation methods in Queensland - Source: Water Use on Australian Farms 2006-07
- Gross value of irrigated agricultural production in Queensland (2004-05)
Water resources—Australia
| Resource | Volume (gigalitres) |
|---|---|
| Rainfall | 2,789,424 |
| Run-off | 242,779 |
| Water extracted from environment | 79,784 |
| Water returned to environment | 62,445 |
| Distributed water supplied to environment | 1,005 |
| Water reuse | 425 |
| Water consumption | 18,767 |
Source: Water Account Australia 2004-05
- Almost 91% of rainfall in Australia either evaporates to the atmosphere or soaks into the ground to become groundwater or is used by plants.
- Of the total volume of water extracted from the environment, 78% was returned to the environment as regulated discharge. Ninety-seven per cent of this regulated discharge was in-stream use, primarily by the electricity and gas supply industry.
- The water consumption total of 18,767 GL was a reduction of 14% from the amount consumed in 2000-01. Water consumption represented just under 8% of run-off for 2004-05.
Source: Water Account Australia 2004-05
Water use by sector—Queensland
The agricultural sector has always been the major consumer of water in Australia. In 2004–05, it was responsible for 65% of national water consumption, while in Queensland this figure was 67%. The following table shows the percentage of water consumption for which Queensland's major sectors were responsible during this period.
| Sector | Consumption (%) |
|---|---|
| Agriculture | 67 |
| Household | 11 |
| Manufacturing | 4 |
| Mining | 2 |
| Other | 16 |
Source: Water Account Australia 2004-05
Water use by commodity—Queensland
| Commodity | Water use (megalitres) |
|---|---|
| Sugar | 931,000 |
| Cotton | 194,000 |
| Fruit | 133,000 |
| Grapes | 6,000 |
| Vegetables | 87,000 |
| Dairy | 64,000 |
| Other | 425,000 |
| Total | 1,840,000 |
Source: Water Use on Australian Farms 2006-07
Water use by irrigated area—Queensland
| Commodity | Area irrigated (hectares) |
|---|---|
| Sugar | 196,000 |
| Cotton | 35,000 |
| Fruit | 37,000 |
| Grapes | 1,000 |
| Vegetables | 31,000 |
| Dairy | 15,000 |
| Other | 143,000 |
| Total | 458,000 |
Source: Water Use on Australian Farms 2006-07
Irrigation methods in Queensland - Source: Water Use on Australian Farms 2006-07
- Surface irrigation systems were used on 42% of the total area irrigated; sprinkler systems on 45%, and drip/trickle systems on 8%
- Of the sprinkler systems in use, 53% were hose irrigators, 20% were large mobile machines and microsprays 12%
- Fourteen per cent of all irrigators were using above ground drip/trickle systems, while 4% were using subsurface drip irrigation.
Gross value of irrigated agricultural production in Queensland (2004-05)
The ABS has provided the following figures as a guide to the income generated from irrigated agriculture in Queensland.
Note that water is only one input to agricultural production from irrigated land, and it is currently impossible to establish the value of the different components; however the figures below attribute the gross value of production from irrigated land to irrigated agricultural production.
Note also that the ABS warns against using this value for determining the highest value water use, as other factors that need to be accounted for include the cost of inputs other than water, and regional climate impacts on crop water requirements.
The ABS made several assumptions in calculating these figures, and used different calculation methods for some. View the ABS website to find out more about how the figures were derived.
| Industry | Gross value of irrigated production ($m) |
|---|---|
| Sugar | 471 |
| Cotton | 395 |
| Fruit | 494 |
| Grapes | 16 |
| Vegetables | 561 |
| Dairy | 108 |
| Nurseries, cut flowers and turf | 173 |
| Livestock, pasture, grains and other | 129 |
| Total | 2349 |
Source: Water Account Australia 2004-05
Last updated: 25 September 2009