Project overview

Groundwater is an important source of water for communities or agriculture in many parts of Australia. However, groundwater can have salts, minerals or other chemicals dissolved in it. Water with these natural contaminants may need to be treated before it can be used. Treatment to remove dissolved salts and other contaminants is called desalination.

This project is a practical pilot demonstration of an emerging desalination technology  called iFORO, at several sites in regional Western Australia.

The Northern Territory’s Keep River Plains are suitable for irrigated agriculture but lack adequate water infrastructure. New infrastructure could enable up to an additional 24,700 hectares of irrigated agriculture and deliver significant economic growth.

The detailed business case will investigate:

Population growth and tourism have placed pressure on the Lower Great Southern Towns Water Supply Scheme (the Scheme). Additional water supplies are needed to provide long-term water security for more than 40,000 people throughout:

The Mitchell River Water Supply System in East Gippsland has faced ongoing water security issues. The region has experienced severe climate events in the past and needs a more resilient water supply.

The business case will investigate constructing a new storage basin to the north of 2 existing storages in East Gippsland. It is anticipated that a new storage basin would:

Wangaratta’s water supply is unreliable and regularly subject to drought, flood, and the effects of bushfires. There are currently around 30,000 residents who rely on the water supply network in the town and nearby areas. This lack of water security can result in limited population growth, reduced liveability and an increased threat of water restrictions.

Tasmania’s current North West Water Supply Scheme has insufficient infrastructure to meet growing demand. The Isandula Dam is at risk of dam failure, posing a threat to the region’s water supply. The Scheme currently supplies water to more than 55,000 residents in North West Tasmania, including the townships of:

• Penguin
• Ulverstone 
• Forth
• Devonport
• Spreyton
• Latrobe
• Port Sorell.

The detailed business case will investigate options to determine the preferred solution. The proposed project is expected to:

Project overview

The rural village of Tabulam, in the far north-east of New South Wales, has never had a town drinking water supply, with residents entirely reliant on rainwater tanks for household supply. The absence of a safe and reliable drinking water supply has left the community in a state of low water security and with poor water quality, including exposure to pathogens and potentially toxic blue green algae.

Project overview

Population growth, tourism, mining and agribusiness are all expected to increase pressure on Orange’s water supply. The business case will explore the potential of purified recycled water to address long-term water security issues in Orange. 

The project will explore the feasibility and benefits of:

Project overview

Population growth has put pressure on town water supply systems in the Far North Coast region of New South Wales. Due to climate change, extreme dry periods are likely to increase and place further pressure on the region’s water supplies.

The preliminary business case will investigate the feasibility of several water supply options to improve the region’s climate-resilience. Options for consideration include:

Project overview

The Bermagui town water supply system has been identified as having the greatest unaddressed water security risk in the South Coast region of NSW. The preliminary business case will explore infrastructure and non-infrastructure options to address water security and shortage issues. 

Bermagui draws its town water supply directly from the Brogo River, with releases supplied by the regulated Brogo Dam. The preliminary business case will investigate: