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Parliamentary Questions


Question Without Notice No. 437 asked in the Legislative Council on 22 August 2017 by Hon Jim Chown

Parliament: 40 Session: 1


WATER CORPORATION — DESALINATION PLANT
      437. Hon JIM CHOWN to the minister representing the Minister for Water:
Due to a dry start to winter and expectations of below average rainfall, the Water Corporation has acknowledged that Perth will be in need of a new desalination plant much earlier than previously foreseen. The utility has stated that Perth's dams have become largely redundant decades sooner than anyone expected. Comments made in The West Australian of 5 July 2017 by Ashley Vincent, the Water Corp's general manager, and Peter Moore, the former chief operating officer, indicate a very real possibility of needing to take action towards building a third desalination plant within 18 months. In light of these revelations from the Water Corporation —
      (1) Does the government have any plans to prioritise the building of a new desalination plant for our state?
(2) Does the government consider a new desalination plant to be a higher priority than Metronet?
Hon ALANNAH MacTIERNAN replied:
I thank the member for the question. The following answer has been provided to me by the Minister for Water.
      (1) As the last decade has shown us, water supply planning is not static. The Water Corporation is constantly responding and adapting to changing circumstances, including climate change, by identifying and adding new sources when needed. The Water Corporation is now more than halfway through implementing a 10‑year water supply plan for Perth but, with recent years among the worst recorded for water reaching Perth's dams, it is already planning what comes beyond.
      Although we can do more with the water we have through improved water use efficiency, when the situation arises, there is a range of options for the next sources of water. These options include desalination plants to the north and south of Perth, and expansion of groundwater replenishment. In deciding which options to progress, the government will take into account the social, economic and environmental impacts.
      No time frames have been determined for potential new water sources. However, we anticipate that with 25 billion litres of streamflow into Perth's dams each year, a new source will not be required to be in place for at least five years.