Water use and quality

Environmental issues associated with water use and quality include salinity, pollution and contamination. 

This section covers:

See also Water.

International standards and resources

The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance identifies all significant wetlands internationally.

Australian conventions and resources

The Bureau of Meteorology has information about Australia’s water resources.

Significant wetlands in Australia are listed in the Directory of Important Wetlands in Australia.

Terms to watch out for:

blackwater, greywater, wastewater

blackwater: dark water in water bodies such as rivers and waterholes, resulting from decay of excessive organic matter and consequent sudden depletion of oxygen in the water, OR raw sewage

greywater: domestic wastewater (eg from washing machines or baths); often reused for purposes other than drinking (eg watering gardens), rather than being drained into the sewerage system

wastewater: water that is degraded in quality and originates from various sources, including homes, industries and surface runoff

See all terms

Water use

Water use is measured in gigalitres (GL) and megalitres (ML), but water price is usually quoted in $/kilolitre (kL).

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Water programs and strategies

Use initial capitals for the formal names of national programs and strategies:

National Water Initiative (NWI)     National Water Quality Management Strategy (NWQMS)     South East Queensland Healthy Waterways Partnership     Ecosystem Health Monitoring Program

Use lower case for terms that are not formal names:

catchment management plans   but   Murray–Darling Basin Plan     water-quality guidelines     water resource management agencies

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