Arup continues Busselton Water partnership to deliver a new water treatment plant

The new groundwater treatment plan aims to address capacity and resilience of water supply by creating a new groundwater extraction point to provide stable water supply for the community.

Saltwater intrusion, declining rainfall and increasing demand are impacting water security in Western Australia’s southwest. This project is a vital part of Busselton Water’s plans to ensure the supply of high-quality drinking water can be maintained.

Arup’s Western Australia Leader Emson Makita attended a site tour with WA Minister for Water Don Punch and Busselton Water Chair Dr Robyn Paice who announced the news to the community.

“The Arup team is proud to be continuing our design work on Busselton Water’s new water treatment plant, which ensures a stable water supply for the local community for decades to come,” said Mr Makita.

“Following on from our preliminary design work, our local WA team is excited to start the detailed design phase of the plant, leveraging the firm's extensive expertise in delivering major water projects in Australia and around the world.”

Arup Project Director Mark Adams added, “It’s been a career highlight working on this project and contributing to the ongoing security and resilience of water supply for the community. Projects like the Busselton Water treatment plant bring to life our business aim of helping over a billion people through our water business by 2030.”

Busselton Water Chair Dr Robyn Paice said it was exciting to see works underway for this major infrastructure project, which is critical to sustainable water supply for the region.

“The South West is already feeling the impacts of climate change, with a drying climate, and our coastal bore network is at risk from salt water intrusion,” explained Robyn.

“Busselton Water is taking steps now to ensure long term water security for our growing population, by transitioning our bore network inland and upgrading our supply capacity.

“Construction of the monitoring and production bore, drilled to a depth of around 750 metres, will be completed by December 2025, providing essential data for a new water treatment plant, which we are pleased to be designing in partnership with Arup.”