NewsStory

Australia’s recycled water supply rose 5.5% in 2024–25

KROV newsroom

13 Nov 2026, 10:18 am IST1 min read

DiscussionThe story behind the news.

Illustrated water droplets, coastal wave and treatment tank

Australia supplied 323 billion litres of recycled water in the 2024–25 financial year, an increase of 5.5% from the previous year and the highest volume since 2015–16. Water utilities supplied 199 billion litres of desalinated water, up 16%, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported on 12 November.

National water consumption changed little, rising 0.1% to 17,163 billion litres. The broader measure of water use fell 2.2% to 76,957 billion litres. The bureau said hydroelectric generation accounts for much of the gap between the measures because it uses large volumes of water and returns most of it to the environment.

The bureau reported less rainfall and less accessible water in major dams than a year earlier. Conditions varied by region.

Cover image is an AI-generated editorial illustration.

Sources and credits

Credit: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Water Account, Australia, 2024–25. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International.

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