• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

Government of Western Australia Department of Water WATER FOR GROWTH Urban Western Australia’s water supply and demand outlook to 2050 Securing Western Australia’s water future June 2016 Department of Water 168 St Georges Terrace Perth Western Australia 6000 Telephone +61 8 6364 7600 Facsimile +61 8 6364 7601 National Relay Service 13 36 77 www.water.wa.gov.au © Government of Western Australia June 2016 This work is copyright. You may download, display, print and reproduce this material in unaltered form only (retaining this notice) for your personal, non-commercial use or use within your organisation. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, all other rights are reserved. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be addressed to the Department of Water. ISBN 978-1-925387-61-2 (print) ISBN 978-1-925387-62-9 (online) For more information about this report, contact Daniel Ferguson, Water Supply Planning branch Cover photograph: Bunbury, Collie River and Leschenault Inlet looking west Disclaimer This document has been published by the Department of Water. Any representation, statement, opinion or advice expressed or implied in this publication is made in good faith and on the basis that the Department of Water and its employees are not liable for any damage or loss whatsoever which may occur as a result of action taken or not taken, as the case may be in respect of any representation, statement, opinion or advice referred to herein. Professional advice should be obtained before applying the information contained in this document to particular circumstances. This publication is available at our website www.water.wa.gov.au or for those with special needs it can be made available in alternative formats such as audio, large print, or Braille. Water for Growth: Urban is part of the Water Supply and Demand Outlook series. Other reports in the series cover the agriculture, heavy industry and mining sectors. The information provided in these reports draws from the Department Contents of Water’s Water Supply-Demand Model. The model and report series was funded through the State Government’s Royalties for Message from the Minister 2 Regions ‘Regional water availability, planning and investigation Summary 3 program’. The program aims to support regional development by assessing the water resources and Western Australia’s urban water supplies and demand 7 supply options needed for Western Urban water use 9 Australia’s future population and Urban water sources 11 economic growth. Public water supply schemes 13 Community water supplies for parks and gardens 15 Independent water supplies for the house and garden 17 Urban water supply and demand outlook 19 Western Australia - South 21 Western Australia - North 27 Building urban water security 31 Supplying groundwater and surface water for now and the future 33 Innovation in water use efficiency and water sensitive development 35 How much Moving to water supplies for a drier climate 37 water is that? Shortened forms 41 1 gigalitre (GL) 1 megalitre (ML) 1 kilolitre (kL) = one billion litres = one million litres = one thousand litres Volume of Melbourne Volume of Beattie Park Volume of four wheelie bins Cricket Ground stadium swimming pool ≈ 1 kL ≈ 1.6 GL ≈ 2.4 ML A message from the Minister Hon. Mia Davies MLA, Minister for Water In meeting the challenges and opportunities to co-design solutions for timely and for the future of Western Australia’s growth cost-effective water supplies. Accurate and development, the security and availability and timely water advice gives the urban of water is a key consideration. To support development sector confidence to invest the extensive planning and activity already in regional development and new projects happening to maintain long-term growth of the needed to boost our economy. It also helps State, the Department of Water has created connect land planning with local water the Water for Growth report series. resources and identify areas for improved water use efficiency. The Water for Growth report series builds on Western Australia’s history of excellent With increasingly precise science to support science and research into water resource effective management we can ensure our use use and management. It combines the of groundwater resources stays in balance Department of Water’s knowledge of water with a drier future. We can also build on the resources with industry insights and expert significant water savings made by Western advice on projected growth of the population Australians over the past decade with more and economy. innovation and smart design of water-sensitive urban areas. This comprehensive water demand and supply forecasting is grounded in other important Over the past decade, our largest urban areas trends for the State. In the past thirty years, have started transitioning to climate-resilient Western Australia’s population has increased water sources like seawater desalination by more than one million people and our and treated wastewater, which will become economy has reached new heights on the increasingly important into the future. In back of demand for our mineral resources. regional centres, we are expanding the Rainfall has decreased and the dams that identification and use of ‘fit for purpose’ once met most of Perth’s water needs are no non-drinking water sources so drinking water longer being replenished. Our groundwater supplies can continue to meet demand as the resources, which now supply most of our population grows. urban water needs, are under pressure due to increasing demand for water and the drying Our State’s future growth and prosperity and climate in the south west of the State. Against its water future are closely linked. I invite this backdrop, the Department of Water has Western Australia’s community, industry and prepared Water for Growth: Urban. government to continue working together to meet the challenges of supplying water Water for Growth: Urban is a long-term outlook for sustainable and productive use under of water supply and demand for households, changing climatic conditions. I hope the water parks and gardens and commercial use supply-demand outlook series assists and in urban areas across Western Australia. encourages you to be part of this journey, The report supports collaboration between where we all have a key role to play in securing government, industry and the community water for the future. WATER FOR GROWTH Urban 2 Summary • Water for Growth: Urban examines the water demand and supplies for Western Australia’s cities, towns and localities, both now and 35 years into the future. • The Water Corporation, Aqwest (Bunbury) and Busselton Water operate Western Australia’s public water supply schemes that reticulate drinking water for domestic, commercial and industry use. Future urban water supplies and demand • Households, local government, schools and businesses also independently source groundwater where available, mainly to irrigate parks and gardens. • We estimate that at least an additional 250 gigalitres per year of water will be needed 2050 for Western Australia’s urban areas by the year 2050 to meet the growth in demand from households, parks and gardens and to produce goods and services. • Western Australia’s community, private sector and three tiers of government will each play 2015 a critical part in building our state’s future water security. Our approach is to optimise the sustainable use of groundwater and surface water, achieve water efficiency targets and develop new water sources that are appropriate for a drying climate. Population growth forecasts for Western Australia’s urban water Western Australia to 2050 range use is projected to increase from from 1.3 to 1.9 per cent per year. its current level of 550 GL per Current urban water supplies and demand We forecast that urban water use year to between 800 and 1000 GL will increase between 1 per cent per year by 2050. and 1.6 per cent per year over the same period. Western Australia’s total water use more than doubled in the past 30 years from 1984 835 GL in 1984 to 1860 GL in 2014. 2014 During that period urban water use Temperature UP grew 1.6 per cent per year, although our population grew by 2 per cent per year. Rainfall Dam inflows DOWN DECLINING Declining and more variable The availability of shallow inflows into dams used to store groundwater in urban areas drinking water in south west including Perth, Kwinana, Western Australia mean new Mandurah, Greater Bunbury and 62% climate-resilient water sources Busselton is now limited and water 38% will be needed to secure public recharge to these aquifers will supply self-supplied scheme water supply schemes. decrease in a drying climate. 550 GL The Department of Water uses a water supply–demand model to Urban water users across Western Australia 62 per cent of urban water 38 per cent of urban identify when new water sources will be needed to meet long-term currently consume 550 GL of water a year, is supplied via public water water is self-supplied, demand across the state. The model projects future water demand comprising of: supply schemes operated mainly from groundwater 69 per cent for households by the Water Corporation, bores owned by and supply by combining data related to current water use, water 17 per cent to irrigate parks and gardens, Aqwest (Bunbury) or households, local resources, economic growth and population forecasts. and 14 per cent for commercial purposes. Busselton Water. government, schools and businesses. 3 WATER FOR GROWTH Urban WATER FOR GROWTH Urban 4 Building water security Supplying groundwater Innovation in water use Moving to water and surface water for efficiency and water sources for a now and the future sensitive development drier climate • The Department of Water regulates how • Western Australia’s urban water consumption • The Water Corporation is reducing our reliance much groundwater and surface water can improved by 15 per cent per person in the last on surface water from dams to supply Perth be sustainably taken for use.

Load more

  25

Copy Link