Western Australian Water Minister, Mia Davies, has announced a grant of $998,643 to replace 8km of aged irrigation pipework infrastructure in Esperance, securing its non-potable water supply.
The funding was made available through the Liberal National Government’s Watering WA Towns program and would allow Esperance to continue to provide fit-for-purpose water to irrigate 38 hectares of public open space in the town’s eastern suburbs.
“This non-potable water supply scheme was originally installed more than 30 years ago and draws on a mix of treated wastewater and groundwater,” Ms Davies said.
“Replacing this piping infrastructure will enable the Shire to continue to use large volumes of fit-for-purpose water to irrigate extensive areas of public open space, playgrounds, and educational and sporting facilities which are enjoyed by many of the local people.
“If this system was reliant on scheme water, it would cost the Shire in excess of $450,000 to irrigate existing green spaces.
“When works are completed, the volume of water delivered will increase from 200 million to 306 million litres, which is sufficient to meet projected demands now and into the future and cost around $138,000 annually to operate.”
Watering WA is the state’s single biggest investment in regional non-drinking water projects to make hundreds of millions of litres of fit-for-purpose water available for maintaining sports grounds and public spaces, industry supply, and emergency livestock and fire-fighting purposes.
The six-year program is funding expanded grants and rebates for local governments, farmers, community groups and businesses to co-invest in new and improved infrastructure to better harvest, store, treat and distribute underutilised water sources.
