Pilbara Water Supply

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Pilbara Water Supply

• Dr Hamid Mohsenzadeh
• Regional Manager
• Department of Water

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Water in the Pilbara

• Necessary for towns and ports
• Projected demand growth is significant
• Critical component of mine management - three
  quarters of Pilbaras iron ore deposits are below
  the water table
• Vital part of the Aboriginal connection to
  country
• Essential for the high value environmental assets
  of the region

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Department of Water (and its predecessors) have
had a long history of involvement in the Pilbara
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DoWs role

• to ensure sustainable management of the regions
  water resources.
• work closely with the resource sector,
  pastoralists and Indigenous communities to manage
  groundwater and protect groundwater dependant
  ecosystems.
• work with the mining sector to facilitate the
  sustainable management of groundwater resources
  and minimise the impacts of development on
  surface and ground water resources across the
  region.

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Water Planning Frameworkand supporting documents
Level 1

• Level 2
• Sets State Water Policy Objectives
• Identified Pilbara as a high Priority region

Level 3
Level 4
Pilbara Water in Mining Guideline
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Pilbara Regional Water Plan

• Draft released for Public comment Oct 2008
• Sets long-term (25 year) regional level water
  objectives and outcomes
• Identifies short-term (5 year) action plan
• Prepared through consultation with community,
  industry and government agencies

Level 2 document
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Pilbara Regional Water Plan - Objectives

• 1. Security of water supply
• 2. Balanced water use (enviro, social, cultural
  economic)
• 3. Manage impacts to protect long-term health of
  water-dependent ecosystems
• 4. Integrated land water planning
• 5. Recognise protect Aboriginal values
• 6. Ensure fit for purpose water use
• 7. Support high-value water use by industry with
  least adverse impact

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Security of Water Supply

• Rising water demand in the coastal towns and
  ports which is outstripping current supply
• Potential for long-term integrated approach to
  matching water demand and supply

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Currently three Coastal town supply schemes
West PilbaraPort HedlandOnslow
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West Pilbara comprises Harding Dam and Millstream
Aquifer
Both Millstream and Harding are recharged
episodically
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Projected demand for West Pilbara
Current long term reliable yield 10GL/year
GL / year
Source Economics Consulting Services (2008)
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Projected demand for Port Hedland
Current licensed volume 13.5GL/year
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Projected Growth in Water Use in the Pilbara -
dewatering is the biggest increase in volume
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Pilbara Water Supply Infrastructure

• Over the next 10 years, iron-ore production in
  the Pilbara is expected to double. The provision
  of water infrastructure is crucial to
  underpinning the regions economic growth.
• Reliable water supplies are essential to the
  towns, ports, communities and industry in the
  Pilbara. Water availability, however, is
  problematic. Severe droughts can be followed by
  major floods.
• exploring water options to underpin the regions
  economic growth.

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Pilbara Water Pre Feasibility Study
(PWPS)Released May 2009 for Comment
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The priorities for water infrastructure
investment are Challenges and Opportunities

• Coastal towns and ports serviced by the West
  Pilbara and Port Hedland Water Supply schemes
  where demand is close to available supply with an
  immediate requirement for investment in the West
  Pilbara scheme
• Aboriginal communities
• Regional integration of water infrastructure
  there may be opportunities for the integrated
  movement of water across the Pilbara.

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Looking to the FutureIntegrated Approach to
Matching Water Demand and Supply

• Dewatering is forecast to increase significantly
• Opportunities to take advantage of mining
  infrastructure
• Opportunities to move water within mining
  organisations and between organisations
• Possibility of mine dewatering as a source for
  supply schemes
• More wetting of ores at mines to reduce dust
  suppression needs at ports

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Realising these opportunities

• Will require an evaluation of technical,
  economic, environmental, cultural and social
  feasibility
• Will require identification of an appropriate
  funding model
• May require changes in the Department of Water
  licensing approach and legislation

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Other Department of Water activities relevant to
implementing PWPFS

• Improved water accounting
• Water transfer / trading
• Legislative reform

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Improved Water Accounting

• Required under the National Water Initiative
• Will account for amount of water abstracted for
  consumptive use and managed for the environment
• Two pilot projects have been commenced
  Carabooda (Gnangara) and Lower Gascoyne
• Many of the components for water accounting (i.e.
  metering and reporting) are already in place in
  the Pilbara

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Legislative Reform

• New Water Resources Management and Water Services
  Acts are currently being developed for
  consultation
• Opportunities to ensure that the new legislation
  facilitates a more integrated approach to
  matching water supply and demand

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Water Transfer

• With the expansion of mining in the Pilbara there
  will be more water being moved in the landscape
• Moving demand from ports to minesites
• The Dept of Water supports the movement of water
  where it is
• of net-benefit for water-dependent environmental,
  social and
• cultural values

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Thankyou