The Pilbara is our state's most productive mining area and the need for water supplies is growing. The Pilbara groundwater plan area covers over 200 000 km2. It includes the coastal towns of Onslow, Karratha, Roebourne and Port Hedland.
Groundwater resources in the plan area
The plan area mainly covers the Pilbara groundwater area, which is divided into the Ashburton, De Grey Water Reserve, East Pilbara and Yule Water Reserve groundwater subareas. It also covers a small part of the Canning-Kimberley groundwater area to include the West Canning Basin.
The groundwater resources in the Pilbara are mainly alluvial, sedimentary or fractured rock aquifers. We are doing detailed assessments on target resources, which are existing or potential water supplies for the coastal ports and towns where water demand is growing. The target resources (see grey areas on map), all of which were the focus of the Water for the Future work, include:
- lower Fortescue, lower Robe, lower Yule and lower De Grey coastal alluvial aquifers
- Millstream aquifer
- sedimentary aquifer of the West Canning Basin.
Assessments of the smaller alluvial aquifers along the lower Cane, lower Turner, lower George and lower Maitland rivers are also being done and will be based mainly on existing information (see orange areas on map).
Water planning in the Pilbara area
The department's regulatory instrument is the licence, issued to individual water users and used to stipulate licensee requirements and responsibilities. The number of licences and the total demand for water in the Pilbara is increasing, so we also need to manage the water resources as a whole. Water allocation planning will show how the Pilbara's main aquifers will be managed to provide water for use while maintaining their long term viability.
Since 2007, we have been working to better understand the Pilbara's water resources, through consultation and through investigations funded by the Australian Government's Water for the Future initiative. We are using this work to develop a water allocation plan for groundwater resources in the Pilbara. The plan will be released for public comment in 2012.
The plan will set out allocation limits and water management rules for target groundwater resources. This will tell us how much water can be taken for consumptive use while leaving enough water to maintain the water quality of the resources and environmental and cultural indigenous values that are dependent on groundwater.
The plan will also provide guidance in the form of policy to help licensees (current and future) in other parts of the Pilbara groundwater area to improve water management across the region.
The plan will complement our Pilbara water in mining guideline and Pilbara regional water plan.
Why is the department preparing an allocation plan for the Pilbara?
We are preparing an allocation plan for the Pilbara to meet increasing demand for water driven by growth in the Pilbara mining industry. Planning is required to provide more certainty around potential water supply in the region, particularly along the coast where the water demand is high.
The plan will be informed by science and consultation. During 2007-2010 the Australian Government's Water for the Future initiative funded over $3 million of work to support the plan. We are now using this scientific data and information from stakeholders and the community about economic, environmental, social and cultural water issues to develop the plan.
How can I access information on the Pilbara that the department has produced?
We are committed to making our technical information available to the public. Please click on the links to access the following documents or use the publications link on the right of this page. See also the Pilbara Water for the Future website.
Please click on the links to access the following documents:
Allocation plan and supporting documents
Water allocation planning in the Pilbara
Publish Date: 06/05/2011
Managing groundwater-dependent ecosystems of the Pilbara
Publish Date: 06/05/2011
Hydrogeological investigations of Pilbara groundwater resources
Publish Date: 06/05/2011
Development of an integrated water resource planning tool for the Pilbara region
Publish Date: 25/01/2011
Lower Fortescue groundwater allocation limit report
Publish Date: 24/01/2011
Groundwater risk-based allocation planning process
Publish Date: 24/01/2011
Investigating priority water resources - Pilbara
Publish Date: 29/03/2010
Millstream status report : a review of management and consolidation of current understanding
Publish Date: 09/12/2009
Pilbara water in mining guideline
Publish Date: 15/09/2009
Ecological reports
Erosion at Millstream Chichester National Park
Publish Date: 06/05/2011
Long term ecological research on a Pilbara river system : analysis of long term Robe River aquatic monitoring dataset [prepared for Department of Water, Government of Western Australia]
Publish Date: 19/01/2011
Lower Robe River ecological values and issues
Publish Date: 09/11/2010
Yule River : ecological values and issues
Publish Date: 09/11/2010
Lower Fortescue River: ecological values and issues
Publish Date: 19/10/2010
Determining water level ranges of Pilbara riparian species
Publish Date: 15/09/2010
Groundwater dependent ecosystems for Millstream : ecological values and issues
Publish Date: 02/08/2010
Lower De Grey River : ecological values and issues
Publish Date: 29/01/2010
Climate, management and ecosystem interactions in the Pilbara: tree water use at Millstream National Park, W.A. final report 2009
Publish Date: 29/01/2010
Fishes in groundwater dependant pools of the Fortescue and Yule Rivers ; Pilbara, Western Australia
Publish Date: 13/11/2009
Conservation status and habitat associations of aquatic invertebrates in Pilbara coastal river pools [report to Department of Water]
Publish Date: 28/08/2009
Social and Cultural reports
We used to get our water free : identification and protection of Aboriginal cultural values of the Pilbara region
Publish Date: 11/07/2008
Hydrogeological reports
West Canning Basin model design report
Publish Date: 25/01/2011
De Grey and Yule FALCON airborne gravity and gradiometer and magnetic geophysical survey : acquistion and processing report [survey flown July 2009 to August 2009]
Publish Date: 19/01/2011
Pilbara region Western Australia :TEMPEST geophysical survey : acquisition and processing report [survey flown June - July 2009]
Publish Date: 19/01/2011
Development of a subregional scale numerical groundwater model of the lower Yule catchment [draft report]
Publish Date: 19/01/2011
Numerical groundwater model of the lower Fortescue River catchment [prepared for Department of Water, Government of Western Australia]
Publish Date: 19/01/2011
Lower De Grey groundwater model
Publish Date: 19/01/2011
Lower Robe River groundwater model
Publish Date: 19/01/2011
West Canning Basin modelling project
Publish Date: 19/01/2011
Determining the age of groundwaterrs in the recharge zone and northeastern section of the West Canning Basin, Western Australia.
Publish Date: 19/01/2011
Interpretation of airborne electromagnetic, magnetic and FALCON gravity gradiometer data Pilbara coast Western Australia
Publish Date: 19/01/2011
Millstream model recalibration : volume 1 modelling report final
Publish Date: 19/01/2011
Millstream aquifer - determination of a long-term sustainable yield and reliable long-term allocation
Publish Date: 02/08/2010
Radiocarbon age dating groundwaters of the West Canning Basin, Western Australia
Publish Date: 01/03/2009
The Pilbara coast water study
Publish Date: 24/02/2009
Further information
For licensing information, please contact the Department of Water's Pilbara Regional office in Karratha. Phone 08 9144 2000, or visit the Water regions website.
For further information about the plan, contact the Department of Water's Water Allocation Planning branch. Phone 08 6364 7600 or email allocation.planning@water.wa.gov.au.