Ian Goodenough (Moore, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Expanding our water supply to include non-rainfall-dependent sources to provide water security to Perth's northern corridor is one of my main priorities for our community. In the environmental context of a dryer climate and a growing urban population over the past 20 years, increased groundwater extraction has resulted in a fall in the watertable, with local lakes and wetlands drying up. Our horticultural industry, businesses, local governments and households have all been impacted by water licensing, reduced allocations and sprinkler bans.

I'm pleased to inform the parliament that Australis's first full-scale groundwater replenishment scheme is operating within the Moore electorate. Annually, 28 gigalitres of treated water from the Water Corporation's wastewater treatment plants in Craigie and Neerabup is being recharged into our groundwater supply, the Leederville and Yarragadee aquifers. New bores are being drilled in Beldon, Heathridge and Neerabup, which are being connected to the plants by pipelines being constructed in Joondalup, Currambine and Neerabup.

I call upon the government to secure the future water supply for our growing population by expanding water recycling to other wastewater treatment plants in our north, such as Alkimos.