Securing our regions' water future: a path to sustainable water services

As we continue to shape WA's water future, we're looking to secure water sources for the regions and maintain infrastructure to ensure communities have reliable drinking water. 

With support from the state government, we've prioritised a number of important initiatives and projects for 2024-25.

These projects are critical in ensuring we continue to sustainably deliver water and wastewater services to the state, whilst meeting our customer and community needs.

Upgrading assets and investing across the state

We've been replacing our assets  across WA as part of our ongoing renewals program. These include pipes, tanks and pump stations across the state.

Over the last 2 years, we’ve prioritised identifying critical water and wastewater mains to proactively mitigate the risk of future blockages, leaks and bursts. This helps save our valuable water and reduces service interruptions to the community.

Manager of our Statewide Renewals program, Steve Ellwood knows firsthand the difference this program makes.

"Investment in our renewals program helps to improve the reliability of our assets and reduces the pressure on Operations Group who are called on to reactively fix leaks,” he said. 

“This additional funding will enable us to renew water and wastewater pipelines at more than 60 locations across the state."

The state government’s recent commitment of $79.9 million to our 5-year pipeline renewals program will see the relining of wastewater pipes across the state as well as upgrades to aging water pipes in some of our older suburbs.

Goldfields pipeline planning

The Goldfields and Agricultural Region is strategically important to Western Australia, which is why securing its water supply for the future is critical.

Thanks to a $15 million commitment from the state government, future upgrades to the Goldfields and Agricultural Water Supply Scheme (GAWSS) are being prioritised. 

The scheme totals 9,601km in length and supplies drinking water to more than 100,000 residential and business customers from Mundaring to Kalgoorlie – including Northam, Cunderdin, Kellerberrin, Merredin and Southern Cross.

The funding will enable us to undertake critical scoping and design work as we plan the staged upgrades required to meet future demand. 

Included in the work is the design of an initial 112km of upgraded Goldfields Pipeline, pump stations and ancillary infrastructure (surge vessels, treatment units and storage), in addition to further heritage, environmental, topographical and geotechnical surveys.

Supporting long-term economic development in the Goldfields and Wheatbelt, this investment will allow us to continue our concept design studies and investigate options for the delivery of upgrades. 

Learn more about the additional environment and water investments the state government has committed to this year's State Budget.