SA and WA secure over $100m in Water infrastructure funding

South Australia is set to gain ten new water projects, with an overall value of $90 million, to enhance water security, help stimulate regional economies and create hundreds of jobs.

Estimated to support around 800 jobs, the projects are jointly funded by the SA Government, the Federal Government and partners under the National Water Grid Fund – Connections Pathway program.

The ten projects range from delivering additional water to Barossa Valley wine producers, to supporting water efficient, high technology glass houses for growing vegetables in Virginia.

The ten projects are:

• Waikerie Irrigated Agricultural Water Access and Security Project ($2.8m) – to service primary producers in the Lower Murray Catchment through the rehabilitation of effluent lagoons into a wetland, to collect and treat stormwater for reuse
• Greenway’s Irrigation Trust ($2.5m) – investment in new pumps and in increasing capacity of the main trunk line to ensure a community irrigation scheme located in Nildottie provides water availability, reliability and efficiency
• Recycled Water Pipeline to Nairne – Stage 1 ($1.29m) – includes a 1km recycled water pipeline running from the existing water storage facility in Mount Barker, to Nairne, to enable supply to new primary producers
• Callington connection ($1.58m) – a new 2km pipeline to connect existing council recycled water network to a recycled water storage facility, enabling the storage facility to be used to supply primary production
• Water Recycling Project – Seven Point Pork ($1.4m) – this project aims to reduce the use of mains water at this large Port Wakefield meat processing facility by upgrading its existing water recycling plant to produce water for irrigation use
• Project 312 – The Olive Oil Project ($8.88m) – a 5km pipeline extension to the Northern Adelaide Irrigation Scheme (NAIS) network to supply water to ‘The Olive Oil Project’ at Two Wells, creating capacity for additional connections in the area
• Regional Recharge Farms ($800,000) – infrastructure works to form regional recharge farms or areas around the Port MacDonnell area where water is held, allowing it to recharge the aquifer and groundwater supply, preventing the need to reduce primary production water allocations further
• Pogona Barbata ($58m) – the development and construction of high technology glass houses, and water retention and supply systems to create sustainable water management at a Virginia producer of herbs and cucumbers
• Barossa Wine Grape Water Source Diversification ($9m) – development of water infrastructure around Roseworthy for irrigation supply for agriculture
• Lower Murray Reclaimed Irrigation Area ($3.187m) – improving water deliverability and accessibility in the irrigation water delivery infrastructure, increase water use efficiency and ensure access to water when River Murray and Lower Lakes water levels are low

WA secures $20 million for water infrastructure projects

The Western Australian Government has secured $20 million in Commonwealth funding for water infrastructure projects in the agricultural sector, through the Commonwealth’s National Water Grid Fund Connections funding pathway.

The investment is expected to support more than 400 jobs during the construction phase.

The Western Australian Government has advocated for WA farmers for close to 12 months to secure the funding, whilst continuing to invest in the state’s agricultural, community and strategic water supplies.

Water infrastructure projects that are part of the successful Western Australia Connections package, will include infrastructure and pipeline upgrades to increase water storage capacity and access, as well as the construction of new water recycling systems.

The projects include:

• $7.3 million program over the next two years to upgrade and refurbish 70 agricultural area dams from the Mid-West through to the Wheatbelt and Great Southern, ($3.65 million each from the WA and Federal Government)
• $3.2 million to continue the WA Government’s Community Water Supply projects in partnership with local governments, ($1.6 million each from the WA and Federal Government, plus contribution from partner LGAs)
• $9.8 million funding for the Ord Tailwater Return System project, and $1.04 million for the Esperance Small Scale Desalination pilot in partnership with other collaborators, ($6.12 million commitment from the WA Government and $4.72 from the Federal Government)
• $16.5 million for four Water Corporation projects covering dam catchment improvements at three of its dams in the Great Southern, freeing up non-potable supplies for agricultural use, and pipeline improvements between Katanning and Kojonup, ($8.95 million commitment from the WA Government and $7.55 from the Federal Government)
• $4.96 million for the Gascoyne Irrigation Scheme and Modernisation project to equip production bores and upgrade monitoring and control systems to smart metering to allow for horticultural expansion, ($2.48 million each from the WA and Federal Governments)

States left out of Off-farm Efficiency Program

The Federal Government also recently announced an additional $1.54 billion in new funding for water grants only made available to Murray-Darling States, excluding Western Australia, leading to the WA Minister for Water,  Forestry; Youth, Dave Kelly to call on the Commonwealth to widen the eligibility for the Off-farm Efficiency Program to include WA.