Western Australian Water Minister, Dave Kelly, has announced the expansion of Perth’s Groundwater Replenishment Scheme with work starting on an upgrade at the Neerabup Groundwater Treatment Plant.
The expansion of the Groundwater Replenishment Scheme, due to be completed in late 2020, will double the recharge capacity of the scheme from 14 billion litres to 28 billion litres.
Groundwater replenishment is the process where secondary treated wastewater undergoes advanced treatment to produce drinking water. The water is recharged to an aquifer for later use as a drinking water source. When abstracted, the water is once again treated to meet Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.
The $52 million upgrade to the Neerabup Groundwater Treatment Plant will increase the capacity of the current plant from 100 million litres of water treated per day to 150 million litres of water treated per day.
The upgrade is expected to provide up to 120 jobs for local workers during peak construction at the site, located east of Tamala Park in Perth’s northern suburbs. Works are expected to take about 12 months to complete.
Mr Kelly said water planning was never static and required constant adaptation to changing circumstances like climate change.
“The south-west of Western Australia is one of the areas on the planet that is most affected by climate change through declining rainfall.
“Through the innovative use of groundwater replenishment and this upgraded treatment plant, water is able to be replenished and abstracted on a one-to-one basis.
“The upgrade of the Neerabup Groundwater Treatment Plant is the final step in the expansion of this important climate independent water source.”
