Brisbane overtakes Adelaide for water tank installation

Water tanks are becoming an increasingly common feature in Australian homes, with many now investing in these systems to increase their supply of water.

While capital cities have traditionally lagged behind rural properties in the number of water tanks installed on their properties, they are rapidly catching up. This change has been most notable in Brisbane, which last year claimed the top spot for water tank installations, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

In Brisbane, 47 per cent of properties now have water tanks, overtaking the 44.5 per cent found in Adelaide. This represents a huge year-on-year growth, with only 18 per cent of Brisbane homes possessing a water tank as recently as 2007.

Very high growth has also been seen in Victoria and New South Wales. The percentage of Sydney homes with rain tanks has almost doubled, rising from 10 per cent to 19 per cent in a space of six years. Melbourne has seen the number of homes with water tanks almost triple, growing from 11 per cent to 31 per cent between 2007 and 2013.

While Australia's capital cities have recorded strong growth in water tank numbers, they are still being outpaced by rural homeowners. In South Australia outside of Adelaide, the percentage of homes with a water tank has reached 86 per cent, much higher than any of the major cities.

Overall, 44 per cent of Australian rural properties have a water tank in place, compared to an average of 28 per cent in capital cities.

With drier conditions set to continue over future years, thanks in part to El Nino, there will likely be further growth in the number of homes that have water tanks installed. As these become commonplace, there is sure to be plenty of future demand for these devices.

By Gerald Beckton