Impact of drought on Adelaide's water supply system: past, present, and future

Abstract

Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, has a population of approximately 1.3 million. In wet years, Adelaide obtains most if its water supply from the nearby catchments in the Adelaide hills. However, in dry years, about 90 % of Adelaide’s water supply needs are met by water that is pumped from the River Murray. Severe drought in the Murray-Darling Basin in the recent past has meant that the security of Adelaide’s water supply has been threatened. In response, strategies for securing Adelaide’s water supply into the future have been developed, including diversification of water sources and demand management strategies. A case study of the performance of the southern Adelaide water supply system under various supply scenarios has been conducted. This highlights the importance of the use of stochastic analysis, risk-based performance measures and extensive scenario analysis in order to enable the long-term planning of water supply systems in hydrologically variable and uncertain environments, rather than having to react to drought events.