Perth
19.9 Managed aquifer recharge

Supporting information

a. Supporting information

This line item volume (1,203 ML) represents the total volume of recycled water recharged to the Leederville aquifer during the 2012–13 year as part of the groundwater replenishment trial.

More information on the groundwater replenishment trial is provided on the Water Corporation website.

b. Recycled water system overview

The recycled water system is one of three subcomponents of Perth's urban water system. The three subcomponents are the:

  • urban water supply system
  • wastewater system
  • recycled water system.

In the Perth region, approximately 8% of the treated wastewater from the wastewater system is recycled.

During the 2012–13 year, approximately half of the recycled water produced was resold for industrial and municipal use (part of 19.4 Delivery to urban water system users). Approximately 24% of the recycled water was used on-site at the wastewater treatment plants throughout the region; the remaining recycled water was used to recharge aquifers—via injection wells (19.9 Managed aquifer recharge) or infiltration basins (19.10 Discharge from urban water system to groundwater).  The following figure shows all the inflows and outflows associated with the recycled water system.

For more detail on a particular flow associated with the wastewater system, refer to the line item notes. Volumes in the figure annotated with an asterisk (*) indicate flows between urban subcomponents and are not reported in the account. As such, these flows do not have an associated line item number or note.


Schematic diagram of water inflows and outflows during the 2012–13 year for Perth's recycled water system; line item numbers are provided in brackets
Schematic diagram of water inflows and outflows during the 2012–13 year for Perth's recycled water system; line item numbers are provided in brackets

Quantification approach

Data source

Operational Data Storage System.

Provided by

Water Corporation.

Method

Treated wastewater from the Beenyup Wastewater Treatment Plant is transferred to the Advanced Water Recycling Plant where it undergoes further treatment to produce water that meets Australian guidelines for drinking water. This treated wastewater is then recharged to the Leederville aquifer. The volume of aquifer recharge is based on metered data at the recycling plant that is collected on an almost continuous basis.

Assumptions, limitations, caveats and approximations

Nil.

Uncertainty information

Expected error for water meters is +/– 5%.

The Department of Water requires that all water meters, when tested under in situ conditions, must be within 5% accuracy across the full flow rate range (Department of Water 2009c).