WITH SUMMER ONLY A MONTH AWAY, MANY PEOPLE ARE PREPARING THEIR GARDENS FOR OUR LONG HOT DRY PERIOD. WATER IS NO LONGER BEING TAKEN FOR GRANTED, WITH INCREASING RECOGNITION THAT OUR RAINFALL PATTERNS ARE CHANGING AND WATER AVAILABILITY IS TIGHTENING.
Since 2001, Perth’s average water use per person has decreased by almost 30 per cent yet Perth remains one of the highest water using cities in Australia. Five years ago the Water Corporation released their vision for water provision for Perth and the surrounding areas, using a base line of a 20 percent decline in rainfall in the thirty years to 2030. The plan is to move away from climate based sources and move towards desalination and aquifer recharge solutions. By 2060, the intention is to reduce water use by 25 per cent, increase water recycling by 60 per cent and develop 100 billion litres of new water sources.
The Water Corporation has now turned their attention further south with the release last week of the State Government’s draft report into the management of South West water supplies over the next fifty years, which is now open for public comment.
Over the last five years, Water Corporation customers in the South West have reduced their water use by 15 per cent, which has allowed for the water demand to remain generally constant despite a growing population. To achieve future water security, the Water Corporation propose to set a new target of 25 per cent reduction in water use per person by 2030.
Research showed there is community support for surface water sources, so an additional four are included in the draft report: Gregory Brook, Nannup Brook, Camp Creek and Northcliffe Dam. The option of groundwater replenishment for areas near Bunbury, Busselton-Dunsborough and Margaret River has been included as option, along with micro desalination plants on the west coast, south coast and at Windy Harbour. With the cost of the micro plants estimated to be $1.6 billion, construction is likely to be towards the end of this fifty year plan.
Planning for water provision in the South West is no easy task as there are many stakeholders including agriculture, mining and industrial as well as urban requirements such as water for drinking and urban irrigation. Water Corporation customers account for just seven percent of the surface water and seven percent of ground water consumption, so getting the planning right will require cooperation between many stakeholders.