Weather induced changes on domestic water consumption

Abstract

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology defines seven zones; ranging from equatorial and tropical in the north, temperate in the south and desert in the centre; to describe the climate of Australia. Six of these seven zones can be found in the state of Queensland. The zones are characterised by weather based factors such as rainfall, temperatures, relative humidity and evaporation. The purpose to this project was to attempt to determine if these factors have an affect on the rate of demand for domestic water consumption by consumers. The primary objective of this project was to produce a mathematical model; using these weather based variables; for use by Peak Downs Shire Council to aid in the prediction of the daily domestic water consumption in the township of Capella in Central Queensland, Australia. This objective was achieved with the consumption model, as detailed in Section 7.3.2 predicting 86 % of outside usage. A broader objective of this project was to investigate and examine the differences and relationships between the variables applicable to Capella and those relevant to Barcaldine, in Western Queensland and Yeppoon on the Queensland Central Coast. The aim of this investigation was to develop a correlation between climate variations and the consumptions within these zones. T-test analysis of 2005 weather data failed to determine the existence of a significant relationship between the variable combinations tested. A correlation between climate variation and consumption within the regions could not be adequately completed due to the lack of complete and accurate records.