❓ Mr. Bowler asks why a previously funded water supply upgrade in Cue hasn't occurred. Mr. Kobelke explains technical challenges and a potential solution being trialed in Yalgoo.
AnsweredQoN 303Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
WATER SUPPLY - CUE
The minister would be aware that funding was provided two budgets ago to upgrade the water supply in Cue. However, that upgrade has not taken place. Can the minister please explain why that upgrade has not taken place, and when the people of Cue can expect to get a decent water supply? Mr J.C. KOBELKE
The minister would be aware that funding was provided two budgets ago to upgrade the water supply in Cue. However, that upgrade has not taken place. Can the minister please explain why that upgrade has not taken place, and when the people of Cue can expect to get a decent water supply? Mr J.C. KOBELKE
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question. Clearly, there is a real issue with water supply in those areas throughout the Murchison and the goldfields. The member is aware that not only is there a shortage of water, but, when water is available, it is sometimes not up to the standard of drinking water that we would expect. Not only is saline water present, but also there are high nitrogen levels in some communities. In some communities, the arsenic levels are also a bit high. The problem with putting in place a process of reverse osmosis to bring that water up to standard is that the volume of water that is required for reverse osmosis is normally about twice the volume of water that comes out as potable water. Therefore, in areas in which only a limited amount of water is available, clearly that process will not be productive. The Water Corporation was actually looking at a type of desalination. However, it found that because of the high silica content in some of that water, a desalination process would either not work, or be highly inefficient. At Yalgoo, we have been developing a process called HERO, or high efficiency reverse osmosis. That plant has now been completed, but I do not know whether the commissioning has been completed. We are looking at whether that new technology will provide a means by which we can provide high quality potable water in towns in which there is only a small water supply, and that water supply contains a range of contaminants or minerals that means it is not suitable for drinking. The process at Yalgoo has taken a bit longer to get up and running. As soon as that process has been proved, that may provide a solution for towns such as Cue. The member is clearly interested in ensuring that we can improve the water supply to Cue and other towns in the Murchison area.
Mr J.C. KOBELKE replied: I thank the member for the question. Clearly, there is a real issue with water supply in those areas throughout the Murchison and the goldfields. The member is aware that not only is there a shortage of water, but, when water is available, it is sometimes not up to the standard of drinking water that we would expect. Not only is saline water present, but also there are high nitrogen levels in some communities. In some communities, the arsenic levels are also a bit high. The problem with putting in place a process of reverse osmosis to bring that water up to standard is that the volume of water that is required for reverse osmosis is normally about twice the volume of water that comes out as potable water. Therefore, in areas in which only a limited amount of water is available, clearly that process will not be productive. The Water Corporation was actually looking at a type of desalination. However, it found that because of the high silica content in some of that water, a desalination process would either not work, or be highly inefficient. At Yalgoo, we have been developing a process called HERO, or high efficiency reverse osmosis. That plant has now been completed, but I do not know whether the commissioning has been completed. We are looking at whether that new technology will provide a means by which we can provide high quality potable water in towns in which there is only a small water supply, and that water supply contains a range of contaminants or minerals that means it is not suitable for drinking. The process at Yalgoo has taken a bit longer to get up and running. As soon as that process has been proved, that may provide a solution for towns such as Cue. The member is clearly interested in ensuring that we can improve the water supply to Cue and other towns in the Murchison area.
I thank the member for the question. Clearly, there is a real issue with water supply in those areas throughout the Murchison and the goldfields. The member is aware that not only is there a shortage of water, but, when water is available, it is sometimes not up to the standard of drinking water that we would expect. Not only is saline water present, but also there are high nitrogen levels in some communities. In some communities, the arsenic levels are also a bit high. The problem with putting in place a process of reverse osmosis to bring that water up to standard is that the volume of water that is required for reverse osmosis is normally about twice the volume of water that comes out as potable water. Therefore, in areas in which only a limited amount of water is available, clearly that process will not be productive. The Water Corporation was actually looking at a type of desalination. However, it found that because of the high silica content in some of that water, a desalination process would either not work, or be highly inefficient. At Yalgoo, we have been developing a process called HERO, or high efficiency reverse osmosis. That plant has now been completed, but I do not know whether the commissioning has been completed. We are looking at whether that new technology will provide a means by which we can provide high quality potable water in towns in which there is only a small water supply, and that water supply contains a range of contaminants or minerals that means it is not suitable for drinking. The process at Yalgoo has taken a bit longer to get up and running. As soon as that process has been proved, that may provide a solution for towns such as Cue. The member is clearly interested in ensuring that we can improve the water supply to Cue and other towns in the Murchison area.
Mr J.C. KOBELKE replied: I thank the member for the question. Clearly, there is a real issue with water supply in those areas throughout the Murchison and the goldfields. The member is aware that not only is there a shortage of water, but, when water is available, it is sometimes not up to the standard of drinking water that we would expect. Not only is saline water present, but also there are high nitrogen levels in some communities. In some communities, the arsenic levels are also a bit high. The problem with putting in place a process of reverse osmosis to bring that water up to standard is that the volume of water that is required for reverse osmosis is normally about twice the volume of water that comes out as potable water. Therefore, in areas in which only a limited amount of water is available, clearly that process will not be productive. The Water Corporation was actually looking at a type of desalination. However, it found that because of the high silica content in some of that water, a desalination process would either not work, or be highly inefficient. At Yalgoo, we have been developing a process called HERO, or high efficiency reverse osmosis. That plant has now been completed, but I do not know whether the commissioning has been completed. We are looking at whether that new technology will provide a means by which we can provide high quality potable water in towns in which there is only a small water supply, and that water supply contains a range of contaminants or minerals that means it is not suitable for drinking. The process at Yalgoo has taken a bit longer to get up and running. As soon as that process has been proved, that may provide a solution for towns such as Cue. The member is clearly interested in ensuring that we can improve the water supply to Cue and other towns in the Murchison area.
I thank the member for the question. Clearly, there is a real issue with water supply in those areas throughout the Murchison and the goldfields. The member is aware that not only is there a shortage of water, but, when water is available, it is sometimes not up to the standard of drinking water that we would expect. Not only is saline water present, but also there are high nitrogen levels in some communities. In some communities, the arsenic levels are also a bit high. The problem with putting in place a process of reverse osmosis to bring that water up to standard is that the volume of water that is required for reverse osmosis is normally about twice the volume of water that comes out as potable water. Therefore, in areas in which only a limited amount of water is available, clearly that process will not be productive. The Water Corporation was actually looking at a type of desalination. However, it found that because of the high silica content in some of that water, a desalination process would either not work, or be highly inefficient. At Yalgoo, we have been developing a process called HERO, or high efficiency reverse osmosis. That plant has now been completed, but I do not know whether the commissioning has been completed. We are looking at whether that new technology will provide a means by which we can provide high quality potable water in towns in which there is only a small water supply, and that water supply contains a range of contaminants or minerals that means it is not suitable for drinking. The process at Yalgoo has taken a bit longer to get up and running. As soon as that process has been proved, that may provide a solution for towns such as Cue. The member is clearly interested in ensuring that we can improve the water supply to Cue and other towns in the Murchison area.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.