Our water sources
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Wanneroo Groundwater Treatment Plant
Source: Groundwater
Groundwater is obtained from natural reservoirs in the deep sands of the coastal plain.
The Gnangara Groundwater System occurs north of the city – water from here is treated at 6 groundwater treatment plants to make it suitable for drinking before being added to the distribution system.
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Lexia Groundwater Treatment Plant
Source: Groundwater
Groundwater is obtained from natural reservoirs in the deep sands of the coastal plain.
The Gnangara Groundwater System occurs north of the city – water from here is treated at 6 groundwater treatment plants to make it suitable for drinking before being added to the distribution system.
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Mirrabooka Groundwater Treatment Plant
Source: Groundwater
Groundwater is obtained from natural reservoirs in the deep sands of the coastal plain.
The Gnangara Groundwater System occurs north of the city – water from here is treated at 6 groundwater treatment plants to make it suitable for drinking before being added to the distribution system.
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Gwelup Groundwater Treatment Plant
Source: Groundwater
Groundwater is obtained from natural reservoirs in the deep sands of the coastal plain.
The Gnangara Groundwater System occurs north of the city – water from here is treated at 6 groundwater treatment plants to make it suitable for drinking before being added to the distribution system.
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Mundaring Weir
Source: Surface water
Mundaring Weir, completed in 1902, has historically been the main source of water for the Goldfields and Agricultural water supply areas. It is also a significant tourist destination to Western Australia. The dam has a capacity of 63.6 million kilolitres.
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Victoria Dam
Source: Surface water
The Victoria Dam, opened in 1991, was built to supply water to the adjacent hills suburbs of Lesmurdie and Kalamunda. The dam has a capacity of 9.5 million kilolitres.
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Churchman Brook Dam
Source: Surface water
Churchman Brook Dam was built in the 1920's with construction being completed in 1929. It has always been a favourite destination for day trips from Perth thanks to its scenic beauty and excellent facilities. It has a capacity of 2.24 million kilolitres.
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Canning Dam
Source: Surface Water Corporation
Situated on the Canning River, Canning Dam is one of Perth's most important reservoirs. Construction was completed in 1940 and was the state's biggest public works project during the troubled decade. It has a capacity of 90.5 million kilolitres.
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Jandakot Groundwater Treatment Plant
Source: Groundwater
Groundwater is obtained from natural reservoirs in the deep sands of the coastal plain.
The Jandakot Groundwater System occurs south of the city – water from here is treated at Jandakot Groundwater Treatment Plant to make it suitable for drinking before being added to the distribution system.
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Wungong Dam
Source: Surface water
The Wungong River has been a water source for Perth for over 85 years through the small pipehead dam constructed in 1925. Works on the larger, current Wungong Dam were completed in 1979. It has a capacity of 60 million kilolitres.
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Perth Seawater Desalination Plant
Source: Desalination
The Perth Seawater Desalination Plant is located in Kwinana, and started supplying water to Perth through the IWSS in November 2006. It is the biggest single water source supplying the IWSS, providing around 15% of Perth's water needs, or 130 thousand kilolitres a day.
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Serpentine Dams
Source: Surface water
The Serpentine Dams are situated on the Serpentine River in the Darling Scarp. They are an important link back to Perth's industry boom of the 1950's and 1960's. The Main Dam has a capacity of 137.7 million kilolitres and the Pipehead Dam has a capacity of 3.14 million kilolitres.
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North Dandalup Dam
Source: Surface water
Completed in 1994, North Dandalup, on the North Dandalup River, is the most recently constructed dam supplying the people of Perth through the IWSS. It has a capacity of 75 million kilolitres.
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South Dandalup Dam
Source: Surface water
South Dandalup Dam, on the North Dandalup River, is the largest dam supplying water to Perth with a capacity of 200 million kilolitres. It is a popular recreation area as well as an important water supply source.
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Samson Brook Dam
Source: Surface water
Samson Brook Dam was constructed in 1941, but has only been supplying water to Perth through the IWSS since 2001. It has a capacity of almost 8 million kilolitres.
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Stirling Dam
Source: Surface water
Stirling Dam was constructed in 1948, but has only been supplying water to Perth through the IWSS since 2001. It has a capacity of 36.5 million kilolitres
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Southern Seawater Desalination Plant
Source: Desalination
The Southern Seawater Desalination Plant, located in Binningup, began construction in 2009. When it comes online in late 2011, more than 30% of IWSS water will come from climate independent water sources (desalination), with the current plant contributing around 15%.
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Neerabup Groundwater Treatment Plant
Source: Groundwater
Groundwater is obtained from natural reservoirs in the deep sands of the coastal plain.
The Gnangara Groundwater System occurs north of the city – water from here is treated at 6 groundwater treatment plants to make it suitable for drinking before being added to the distribution system.
- 35-50%
Groundwater - 25-45%
Surface water - 15-20%
Desalination
The Water Corporation manages a number of water supply schemes and independent water sources across Western Australia that enable us to supply fresh, clean drinking water to almost 2 million Western Australians. Our largest scheme is the Integrated Water Supply System (IWSS), which provides water to more than 1.5 million people in Perth, the South West, Wheatbelt, and Goldfields and Agricultural regions. We have put this together to help you understand where your water comes from, water use, and why we all need to work together to ensure water for all, forever, in our drying climate.
Who uses our water
Daily water supply
Water Forever - Our 50 year plan
To ensure that there is enough water for all, we need to address the challenges of our drying climate, increasing population and minimising' our environmental impact by using less water. Water Forever is our 50 year plan to deliver sustainable water and wastewater services to Perth and surrounding areas by reducing our water use, increasing water recycling and developing new sources.
Climate change has seen a dramatic reduction in the stream-flows into Perth's dams over the last decade. This last winter, Perth had its driest winter on record with 13 gigalitres water flow into our dams - compared with an average of over 100 gigalitres each year over the past decade.
We cannot meet water demand for the next 50 years from the development of new sources alone. To manage supply and demand to 2060 we need to reduce our water use, increase water recycling, and be open to new ways of sourcing water. More about our 50 year plan
What can you do to reduce water use?
- Reduce your irrigation time by 2 minutes
- Use one less full washing load a week
- Put a cover on your pool
- Fix a leaking toilet
- Reduce your shower time by 2 minutes
- More ways to reduce your water use