❓ Hon Dr Steve Thomas asks about the volume of water dewatered and disposed of during the Forrestfield-Airport Link project, and whether reinjected water could mix with local water sources. The Minister provides specific volumes and assures that the process aligns with environmental guidelines.
AnsweredQoN 1342Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
FORRESTFIELD–AIRPORT
LINK — DEWATERING
1342. Hon Dr STEVE THOMAS to the minister representing the
Minister for Transport:
I refer to the Forrestfield–Airport
Link project and my question without notice 1157 asked on 16 October 2019,
which identified that 656 million litres of water has been dewatered from the
FAL project and reinjected into the extraction sites.
(1) What exact
volume of water coming from dewatering has been ''disposed of via onsite
reinjection''?
(2) What exact volume of water
coming from dewatering has been disposed of ''to the sewer''?
(3) Can water
reinjected into soil or aquifers on the route of the FAL project connect or mix
with water in the area's underground aquifers, watertable or surface
waterways?
LINK — DEWATERING
1342. Hon Dr STEVE THOMAS to the minister representing the
Minister for Transport:
I refer to the Forrestfield–Airport
Link project and my question without notice 1157 asked on 16 October 2019,
which identified that 656 million litres of water has been dewatered from the
FAL project and reinjected into the extraction sites.
(1) What exact
volume of water coming from dewatering has been ''disposed of via onsite
reinjection''?
(2) What exact volume of water
coming from dewatering has been disposed of ''to the sewer''?
(3) Can water
reinjected into soil or aquifers on the route of the FAL project connect or mix
with water in the area's underground aquifers, watertable or surface
waterways?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question. The following answer is provided on behalf of the
Minister for Transport.
(1) The exact volume is 655 240
kilolitres.
(2) The exact volume is 1 126
kilolitres.
(3) Dewatering is
required to allow for the construction of underground structures, such as the
stations and tunnel portals. Dewatering
involves removing groundwater to temporarily lower the watertable within a work area to allow soil to be excavated. The water that is reinjected during dewatering
is returned to the aquifer from which it was removed. This method is consistent
with the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation's guidance
and the FAL project's ''Acid Sulfate Soil and Dewatering
Management Plan''.
some notice of the question. The following answer is provided on behalf of the
Minister for Transport.
(1) The exact volume is 655 240
kilolitres.
(2) The exact volume is 1 126
kilolitres.
(3) Dewatering is
required to allow for the construction of underground structures, such as the
stations and tunnel portals. Dewatering
involves removing groundwater to temporarily lower the watertable within a work area to allow soil to be excavated. The water that is reinjected during dewatering
is returned to the aquifer from which it was removed. This method is consistent
with the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation's guidance
and the FAL project's ''Acid Sulfate Soil and Dewatering
Management Plan''.
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