Perth engineers have reached a new milestone with their non-climate dependent water solution that bolsters the state’s supply.
Australia has a long history of managed aquifer recovery (MAR) – the longest-serving being the Burdekin Delta scheme that has operated continuously in Northern Queensland since the 1960s – but the Perth project is the first to use purified, treated wastewater to bolster drinking water supplies.
Groundwater replenishment currently makes up 5 per cent of Western Australia’s Integrated Water Supply Scheme.
In 2022, engineers in Perth unveiled the country’s first ever full-scale groundwater replenishment scheme using potable quality water, to help address growing water demand in a warming climate.
And this year, the scheme reached a major milestone, with 100 billion L of purified recycled water recharged into climate-impacted groundwater aquifers.
With the state’s Water Corporation aiming to achieve a recycled wastewater target of 35 per cent by 2035, let’s take a look at the innovative approach to water management.
Check out the below infographic to learn more.
Regional water utilities often face the largest challenges when providing safe drinking water and reliable sewerage services.