Water Minister Bill Marmion has announced the delivery of a key Government election commitment releasing a study which assessed opportunities for desalinating saline or brackish groundwater reserves in the Wheatbelt.
The independent engineering study revealed that large scale water supplies from desalination of groundwater were not currently feasible, but there may be opportunities for future local scale schemes with improved technology.
“Pre-treatment and desalination costs are a major component of the cost of water production from brackish or saline groundwater,” Mr Marmion said.
“But improvements in pre-treatment technology, along with understanding the water quality, are likely to reduce these costs in the future.
“The State Government recognises that securing water supply is vital to supporting communities and promoting continued growth and development in our regions.”
The study builds on the work already being done by the Government to investigate alternative water supplies including:
The Minister said the State Government was already investing in improvements in inland desalination technology with a contribution of $3million to the National Centre for Excellence in Desalination based at Murdoch University.
“This study reflects our commitment to investigating all options as part of our future water supply planning for the future of all West Australians,” he said.
