Future water source planning in Great Southern Region
In planning
Project goal:
Investigate what water sources are needed to maintain a reliable drinking water supply to the Lower Great Southern area into the future.
Status:
In planning
Delivery Date:
2029/2030
What's happening?
In response to climate change impacts and forecast increases in demand on our drinking water supplies, we are currently investigating what water sources may be needed to maintain a reliable drinking water supply via the Lower Great Southern Towns Water Supply Scheme (LGSTWSS).
These include:
new groundwater sources in the vicinity of Albany;
local seawater desalination.
Where does Albany currently get its water?
The LGSTWSS supplies drinking water to Albany, Mount Barker, Kendenup and Narrikup and Denmark (as required) from local groundwater sources on the South Coast and surface water from Angove River east of Albany.
How far have you progressed with your investigations?
Over the last 24 months we have completed:
marine investigations
environmental assessments
land and marine environmental surveys
stakeholder briefings and meetings
Following recent announcements, we are no longer progressing investigations into a potential desalination plant at King George Sound in Albany.
We are still in the planning phase of the project will continue investigating seawater desalination and groundwater options. We will provide further updates in coming weeks.
When will you decide what the future water source/s will be?
We will continue to engage with key stakeholders, including government agencies and the community, before and after making a decision on the next source for the LGSTWSS. A decision is planned for late 2025 following a detailed analysis of data and results.
We are committed to keeping the local community updated as we investigate the viability of sources and promote opportunities for community feedback.
Project timeline
Project timeline
Date
Activity/Milestone
Late 2021
Completed initial environmental surveys of investigation areas
Project website established
2022
Commenced Traditional Owner engagement
Completed initial Aboriginal Heritage surveys of investigation areas
Late 2022 - early 2023
Commenced key stakeholder briefings on new source options:
Project fact sheet to over 50 community, industry and stakeholder groups
Over 20 in-person meetings
Completed customer research to gather key insights which included 6 focus groups and 450 surveys
Completed ground based electromagnetic surveys for potential groundwater sites
2023
Commenced marine water quality investigations for potential desalination intake and outfall options
Completed further phases of planning, including identification of technical investigations required to assess water source options
Commenced broader community engagement:
Drop-in sessions at Albany Public Library and Albany Farmers market
O2 Marine technical viability and environmental approval assessment
2024
Site visit with Traditional Owners
Community information stand at Albany Port Open Day
Completed comprehensive desktop review of publicly available data to inform environmental assessment of SDP source options
Completed further environmental surveys of investigation areas
Commenced engineering investigations
Stakeholder briefings with City of Albany and Councillors, community and industry groups
Early 2025
Following recent announcements we will be investigating alternative options outside of Kind George Sound.
2029/2030
Complete delivery of new source/s.
For more information, please refer to the frequently asked questions below.
The LGSTWSS supplies drinking water to Albany, Mount Barker, Kendenup and Narrikup and Denmark (as required) from local groundwater sources on the South Coast and from surface water from Angove River near Two Peoples Bay, east of Albany.
We continue to respond proactively to the ongoing challenges of climate change by investigating potential new water sources for the LGSTWSS.
These include:
new groundwater sources;
local seawater desalination.
Before we determine the location of a preferred water source, we consider the following factors at a minimum:
water quality
drying climate patterns and rainfall / streamflow data
environmental considerations, including impact of drawing water on local ecosystems and construction impacts on existing flora and fauna habitats
heritage and Native Title rights
community feedback
impact on private landowners
water treatment requirements
amount of water we expect to draw from the source and;
cost of supplying water to our customers including building the required infrastructure.
We are still in the early stages with a decision on preferred option/s expected in 2025, following a detailed review of data and results.
We will engage with DWER, other government agencies, stakeholders and the community before making decisions on future sources for the region.
Water Corporation is working with the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER) as we investigate long-term supply options. DWER is developing the Albany and hinterlands water allocation plan for public comment. It covers how groundwater and surface water will be managed and regulated in this area. The plan sets limits about how much water can be used and how much is left in the aquifer for the environment.
Water Corporation also continues to liaise with the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) about a potential seawater desalination plant. DPIRD is working with the Minister for Fisheries to confirm the Albany Aquaculture Development Zone.
We encourage residents to install rainwater tanks in regions with reliable annual rainfall patterns such as the South West and Great Southern regions. Though the efficiencies gained from collecting rainwater are valuable, they don’t close the gap between supply and demand, particularly in a changing climate where rainfall is increasingly less reliable. Rainwater tanks are also more expensive than other options when compared on a per kilolitre basis, which is why we encourage home owners to collect rainwater for household use if this is their personal preference and we offer financial incentives to help. We run a number of Waterwise offers such as showerhead swaps and rebates for rainwater tanks to help customers achieve this, and to reduce the cost difference. The rebates on rainwater tanks are only available in the Great Southern and South West regions due to the more reliable annual rainfall patterns. Visit our Waterwise Towns webpage for further information about offers relevant to your area each year.
Local Government is responsible for the operation approvals and installation of greywater systems in Western Australia. The West Australian Greywater Guide provides further information on how to best reuse domestic greywater in Western Australia
There is no change in pricing of water linked to new capital investment. Albany residential customers pay the same price as other residential customers across the state for water use up to 500kL/year.
Information about seawater desalination
Seawater desalination works by separating water molecules from seawater. First, seawater is screened and pre-treated to remove large particles like seaweed and sand. The seawater is fed to reverse osmosis membranes, where water molecules pass through, and the remaining seawater becomes saltier. About 40% of the seawater becomes freshwater for drinking and the remaining 60% is brine. The brine is nearly twice as salty as the seawater.
Plant - A desalination plant is a facility that removes salt and other impurities from seawater to make it safe for drinking. Seawater Intake Pipeline - A seawater intake pipeline is an important part of a desalination plant. Its purpose is to transport seawater from the ocean to the desalination plant for processing. Brine Outfall Pipeline / Brine Diffuser - A brine outfall pipeline is used to return the concentrated seawater (brine) back to the ocean after it has been desalinated. The brine is typically about twice the saltiness of seawater. Diffuser - A diffuser is a device at the end of an outfall that returns brine to the ocean. Diffusers help mix and dilute the brine with seawater. The diffuser helps to quickly reduce the brine's salinity to match the surrounding seawater generally within tens of metres for small seawater desalination plants, such as proposed for Albany. Integration pipeline – refers to a pipeline transferring the drinking water from the desalination plant to the existing water supply network.
In seawater desalination plants, brine is the salty byproduct returned to the ocean. It is typically twice as salty as seawater because about half the freshwater is removed. Brine may contain very small amounts of food-grade chemicals like anti-scalants and cleaning agents. They are used to keep the membranes working efficiently. Only chemicals approved by the Department of Health for use in drinking water are used.
Brine is returned to the ocean through a brine outfall pipeline with a diffuser at the end. Diffusers help rapidly mix and dilute the brine with seawater. The diffuser helps to quickly reduce the brine's salinity to match the surrounding seawater generally within tens of metres. Mixing and dilution minimises the impact on marine life and ecosystems. Brine will keep mixing with seawater after it leaves the diffuser. It will not form pools of hypersaline water or collect in depressions or basins. Brine dispersion modelling is used to predict how the brine will mix and dilute when it enters the ocean. The modelling uses wave and current data collected from the proposed site. This modelling helps us design diffusers that would work best for the specific site conditions.