Western Australia’s Water Minister, Dave Kelly, has announced that the expansion of Perth’s Groundwater Replenishment Scheme has reached a new milestone, with work starting on the $52 million Neerabup Groundwater Treatment Plant upgrade.
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 upgrade 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, and 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.
The expansion of the Groundwater Replenishment Scheme, due to be completed in late 2020, will also double the recharge capacity of the scheme from 14 billion litres to 28 billion litres.
“Water supply planning is never static, we are constantly responding and adapting to changing circumstances, including climate change, by adding new water sources when needed,” Mr Kelly said.
“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.
“The overall project to expand the Groundwater Replenishment Scheme is supporting 540 local jobs.”