❓ Hon Jacqui Boydell asks about the yield and demand of the West Pilbara Water Supply Scheme, including the Millstream and Bungaroo Valley Aquifers. The answer provides data on water abstraction and forecasts future demand, clarifying Rio Tinto's role in Bungaroo Valley aquifer usage.
AnsweredQoN 2736Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to the West Pilbara Water Supply Scheme, and I ask: (a) what has been the yield taken from the Millstream Aquifer each year for the last 10 years; (b) what has been the yield taken from the Bungaroo Valley Aquifer each year for the last 10 years; (c) over the last 10 years, what has been the total demand on the West Pilbara Water Supply Scheme; and (d) what is the anticipated demand on the scheme each year for the next five years?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
19 March 2020
Responded by
Minister for Regional Development representing the Minister for Water
Response time
12 days
In addition to the Millstream Aquifer and Bungaroo Valley Aquifer, water is also sourced from Harding Dam for the West Pilbara Water Supply Scheme.
(a) The following table summarises the yield taken (annual abstraction) by the Water Corporation from the Millstream Aquifer for the last 10 years.
2009/10
2010/11
2011/12
2012/13
2013/14
2014/15
2015/16
2016/17
2017/18
2018/19
274
2,083
2,613
9,565
5,987
6,815
6,676
6,240
3,288
2,560
(b) The Water Corporation does not abstract water from the Bungaroo Valley aquifer. The following table summarises the yield Rio Tinto has taken (annual abstraction) from the Bungaroo Valley aquifer since they started pumping in 2013.
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
Bungaroo Valley aquifer abstraction (ML)
206
5,091
6,482
7,586
6,172
6,635
(c) West Pilbara Water Supply Scheme total demand over the last 10 years is 116,146 ML. This equates to an average of 11,615 ML/yr.
(d) Based on forecast of population growth and economic activity, anticipated annual demand on the West Pilbara Water Supply Scheme for the next 5 years is summarised below:
Year
Forecast Consumption (ML)
2019/20
12,136
2020/21
12,179
2021/22
12,223
2022/23
12,352
2023/24
12,481
(a) The following table summarises the yield taken (annual abstraction) by the Water Corporation from the Millstream Aquifer for the last 10 years.
2009/10
2010/11
2011/12
2012/13
2013/14
2014/15
2015/16
2016/17
2017/18
2018/19
274
2,083
2,613
9,565
5,987
6,815
6,676
6,240
3,288
2,560
(b) The Water Corporation does not abstract water from the Bungaroo Valley aquifer. The following table summarises the yield Rio Tinto has taken (annual abstraction) from the Bungaroo Valley aquifer since they started pumping in 2013.
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
Bungaroo Valley aquifer abstraction (ML)
206
5,091
6,482
7,586
6,172
6,635
(c) West Pilbara Water Supply Scheme total demand over the last 10 years is 116,146 ML. This equates to an average of 11,615 ML/yr.
(d) Based on forecast of population growth and economic activity, anticipated annual demand on the West Pilbara Water Supply Scheme for the next 5 years is summarised below:
Year
Forecast Consumption (ML)
2019/20
12,136
2020/21
12,179
2021/22
12,223
2022/23
12,352
2023/24
12,481
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.