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Parliamentary Questions


Question On Notice No. 2801 asked in the Legislative Council on 13 February 2020 by Hon Robin Chapple

Question Directed to the: Minister for Regional Development representing the Minister for Water
Parliament: 40 Session: 1


Question

I refer to the issue of water consumption in the Perth/Peel region, and I ask:
(a) what were the total volumes of water servicing the Perth/Peel regions as split out by year for each of the past 10 full reporting years;
(b) for each of the past 10 full reporting years, what percentage of these volumes were for:
(i) residential use; and
(ii) industrial use;
(c) for each of the past 10 full reporting years, what was the water consumption by volume for each of the 10 largest single industrial users of water in the Perth/Peel regions; and
(d) what have been the water sources, by volume, and location, for the Perth/Peel region for each of the last 10 reporting years?

Answered on 12 May 2020

(a) The total volume of water supplied in the Perth and Peel region (Table 1) includes potable scheme water supplied by the Water Corporation and water self-supplied from groundwater and surface water resources by individuals, industries and local government using their own water supply infrastructure. 

 

Table 1: Total estimated water use in the Perth and Peel regions (Greater Perth)

 

 

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

Total water supplied (GL)

553.3

555.3

558.5

556.6

573.9

577.4

575.9

574.7

576.5

580.7

 

(b)(i)(ii) Residential and industrial water use in the Perth and Peel Region (Greater Perth) (Table 2) includes both scheme water and water self-supplied from surface water and groundwater resources.

 

Table 2: Residential and industrial water use in the Perth and Peel region (Greater Perth)

 

 

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

Estimated total residential (%)

49%

49%

47%

48%

49%

48%

49%

48%

48%

48%

Estimated total industrial (%)

9%

9%

9%

9%

9%

9%

9%

9%

9%

9%

 

(c) Industrial water users may source water from scheme and/or self-supplied water sources. Table 3 lists the water consumption by volume of the top ten industrial consumers of both Water Corporation scheme water (“Customers”) and groundwater or surface water (“Licensees”) that take water under the Rights in Water and Irrigation Act 1914.

 

Table 3: Annual water consumption by volume for each of the 10 largest single industrial users of water in the Perth and Peel regions in gigalitres (GL)

 

 

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

Licensee 1

12.8

13.8

14.8

15.9

14.2

11.7

12.5

13.5

15.4

-

Licensee 2

7.6

7.7

7.3

7.7

7.1

6.4

6.8

6.6

5.9

9.0

Customer 1

2.4

2.8

2.8

2.7

2.8

2.9

3.0

2.9

2.3

2.8

Licensee 3

2.2

2.5

2.0

2.1

2.3

2.4

2.3

2.4

2.7

2.5

Customer 2

2.1

2.4

2.5

1.8

2.2

2.4

2.2

2.6

2.4

2.5

Customer 3

2.2

2.0

2.3

2.1

2.0

2.0

2.5

2.3

2.0

2.2

Customer 4

1.3

1.3

1.3

1.3

1.4

1.4

1.5

1.5

1.3

1.3

Licensee 4

1.0

1.0

1.0

1.0

1.1

1.1

1.1

1.0

1.0

-

Licensee 5

1.2

1.1

1.6

1.3

0.9

0.7

0.3

0.6

0.7

0.5

Customer 5

0.6

0.6

0.6

0.7

0.7

0.7

0.8

1.1

1.1

1.1

 

Note that the ‘-’ entry in the 2019 column of Table 3 denotes that metered water use for the particular industrial water user has not yet been recorded by the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation.

 

(d) The volume of water supplied by source (Table 4) incudes water sourced in the Perth and Peel region and exported to the Goldfields and Agricultural Region Water Supply Scheme and parts of the South West.  The source locations other than for the Water Corporation Integrated Water Supply Scheme desalination plants are numerous and include all dams, bores and other water sources.

 

Table 4: Water sources in the Perth and Peel region (Greater Perth), gigalitres (GL)

 

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

Groundwater

(non-potable)

280.1

284.5

286.1

279.5

283.3

290.5

286.2

295.0

300.8

298.6

Groundwater (potable)

120.8

164.8

158.8

140.2

125.8

124.0

137.4

147.5

126.9

123.4

Southern Seawater Desalination Plant

0

0

29.0

48.4

65.1

73.1

92.9

102.5

102.9

50.3

Perth Desalination Plant

47.7

52.0

49.0

47.7

48.0

46.4

46.2

47.3

46.0

39

Surface water (potable)

90.7

48.8

34.4

36.6

49.0

47.5

20.0

0.5

15.8

72.2

Surface water

(non-potable)

9.8

9.5

8.7

9.1

10.0

8.0

7.0

5.5

6.3

9.2

Wastewater recycling (potable)

0

0

0

0

0

0

1.2

1.0

6.0

0.1

Wastewater recycling (non-potable)

5.5

5.7

7.6

7.5

7.9

7.7

8.0

7.6

7.2

7.4

Total

554.6

565.3

573.6

569

589.1

597.2

598.9

606.9

611.9

600.2