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Water Use in Western Australia: The Facts
About 26% of the water that Alcoa uses comes from the Water Corporation or sources available to them.
Only a proportion of the water that Alcoa uses daily, some 18 megalitres out of a total of around 70 megalitres, is water that could be used by the Water Corporation. The 18 megalitres of water is made up of 1.6 megalitres of scheme water, the remainder being groundwater and low-quality farm run-off water. This groundwater and scheme water represents only 2.8% of the total amount of water supplied by the Water Corporation to the greater Perth metropolitan area annually.
Like other industrial users, Alcoa pays commercial rates to the Water Corporation for the purchase of scheme water.
Groundwater extractions from the Pinjarra and Wagerup refineries are from deep bores into aquifers that are not sourced by any other users in that region.
Alcoa is highly water conscious and has taken a great many steps to conserve, reuse and recycle water in the various stages of our own operations as well as from external sources.
Alcoa's Pinjarra refinery has for the last three years, taken the tertiary treated sewage effluent from the sewage treatment plant at that township. This 241ML of water annually allows the refinery to lessen the use of fresh water sources, while at the same time lessening the nutrient-rich input that would otherwise have made its way into the Peel-Harvey estuary system.
Alcoa has been proactive in demonstrating and promoting environmental outcomes associated with water conservation among our employees and company activities.
Day to day water savings are being continually implemented. Some of these include:
- Carrying out water audits, and identifying high use areas
- Use cleaner production techniques to reduce fresh water use in the production of alumina
- Investigate further opportunities to use tertiary treated sewage water from the Water Corporation
- The capture of low-grade water run-off from farmlands in the region of our refineries
- Reduce water dependency of site gardens
- Use dust suppressants on mine haul roads
- Educate and seek assistance from all employees in reducing water use.
Alcoa is acutely aware of the 30-year drying trend in the south west of Western Australia and the resulting current restrictions on fresh water use. The company is also aware of public pressure on large fresh water users to do even more to reduce their use of this valuable resource.
Alcoa is meeting these expectations and will continue to strive to do even more.
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