WA government to upgrade Neerabup groundwater treatment plant

Western Australia (WA) Water Minister Dave Kelly has announced a $52m upgrade at a groundwater treatment facility in Neerabup.

The upgrade of Neerabup groundwater treatment plant is part of the expansion of Perth’s Groundwater Replenishment Scheme.

The scheme expansion will increase the recharge capacity of the scheme to 28 billion litres. It is currently at 14 billion litres.

Following the completion of the upgrade, the Neerabup facility will have a capacity to treat 150 million litres of water per day, which was 100 million litres earlier.

Kelly said: “Water supply planning is never static, we are constantly responding and adapting to changing circumstances, including climate change, by adding new water sources when needed.

“The south-west of Western Australia is one of the areas on the planet that is most affected by climate change through declining rainfall. Through the innovative use of groundwater replenishment and this upgraded treatment plant, water is able to be replenished and abstracted on a one-to-one basis.

“The upgrade of the Neerabup Groundwater Treatment Plant is the final step in the expansion of this important climate independent water source.”

According to the government, the upgrade will create up to 120 jobs for local workers during construction at the site, which is expected to take about 12 months to complete.

Work on the upgrade of Neerabup plant is expected to complete in late 2020.

Kelly added: “The overall project to expand the Groundwater Replenishment Scheme is supporting 540 local jobs.”

Under the groundwater replenishment process, secondary treated wastewater is treated to produce drinking water.