McGurk questions the Rottnest Island Authority (RIA) on water usage for the new golf course, specifically regarding wastewater, bore water, and desalination. The RIA confirms wastewater use, regulated bore/desalinated water usage, and provides cost details.

AnsweredQoN 1092Legislative Assembly
Asked
10 September 2013
Portfolio
Tourism

QuestionView source ↗

(1) Will the Rottnest Island Authority (RIA) be using waste water to irrigate the new golf course as announced by the Minister on 14 February 2012, and if not, why not? (2) If the RIA is using bore or desalinated water to irrigate the golf course, does the RIA have approval from the relevant regulatory bodies to draw this additional water from the Island’s reserves? (3) If the RIA is using bore or desalinated water to irrigate the golf course, what are the: (a) set up costs for providing this water; (b) annual operating costs of watering the upgraded golf course, including the cost to treat and irrigate the water on the lawn; and (c) costs additional to the $1.4 million allocated for the upgrade of the golf course?

AnswerView source ↗

Answered
17 September 2013
Responded by
Minister for Tourism
Response time
7 days
(1) Yes. The Rottnest Island Authority (RIA) has commenced a project to upgrade the Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) to provide a design more suited to the conditions on the Island, and to provide higher quality waste water, and a free source of irrigation for the Island.
(2) The use of bore and desalinated water is tightly regulated and the RIA will continue to comply with the current and any future licence conditions. In renegotiating the licence this year, the RIA is seeking to increase extraction from the saline beach bores and substantially reduce extraction from the shallow aquifer.
(3) Initially the irrigation of the golf course will be achieved with stored rainwater and desalinated water, supplemented if needed with a small demand (less than 13% of the current licence allowance) on the shallow aquifer to reduce costs.
(a) $115 000.
(b) Approximately $220 000.
(c) $214 355.

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