Question On Notice No. 6507 asked in the Legislative Assembly on 15 October 2020 by Dr D.J. Honey
Question Directed to the: Minister for Water
Parliament: 40 Session: 1
Question
I refer to the new pipeline to connect Denmark, via Albany, to the Lower Great Southern Town Water Supply, announced by the Minister in September 2019 as costing $32 million for 60km of pipeline which has now been revised by the Water Corporation to being a project costing $25 million for 43km of pipeline, and ask:
(a) Can the Minister please provide any other breakdown in the cost reduction other than due to the reduced length of pipeline;
(b) Will this project connect to the two Denmark town dams;
(c) What is the current level of water restrictions being imposed on Denmark;
(d) When will the water restrictions on Denmark be removed;
(e) When is it expected that the Albany Town Water Supply (currently mostly
from the underground reservoir) will need to be expanded to accommodate
the extra supply to the Town of Denmark; and
(f) Is this expansion expected to require a desalination plant and if so, what is the estimated costing?
Answered on 12 November 2020
(a) The reduction in the length of pipeline is the primary accountable component for the reduction in the cost.
(b) Not directly.
(c) The current level of water restrictions being imposed on Denmark is Stage 4. Stage 4 restrictions are in place for all towns south of, and including, Kalbarri and Kalgoorlie including the Perth metro area.
(d) There are no plans to remove these restrictions.
(e) The Water Corporation has a project to equip two production bores in a borefield located south west of Albany in early 2021. This project was required regardless of the connection to Denmark.
(f) The current expansion of the source for Albany is groundwater.