Merredin to start ‘exciting’ desalination trial to help drought-proof region with 80kL of water a day

A farming community in the Central Wheatbelt has heralded the opportunity to trial desalination of 80kL of water a day as a “terrific and important” step in bolstering the region’s resilience to climate change. Merredin has been selected to host a two-year desalination technology trial as part of the State Government’s $1.5 million WaterSmart Farms Project, to bolster water security across WA’s agricultural communities. The unit will treat brackish, bore water to deliver 80kL of “high quality, potable” water to the town, improving water security for the agricultural sector and community in times of drought. It comes after the State Government spent more than $3.3 million carting emergency water supplies for livestock across the Wheatbelt and Great Southern after three dry years led to an unprecedented number of water deficiency declarations. Passionate about water security, shire president Mark McKenzie said it was an exciting time for the Wheatbelt community. “It is terrific news for our engineering team, who are looking at future engineering solutions to boost local water supplies beyond scheme water in a drying climate for our community,” he said. “Both the desalination unit and this grant will kick start the infrastructure required to boost local water supplies and improve our water security, and we would like to thank the State Government for their commitment to Merredin.” As part of the trial, a desalination unit and solar power system for sustainable power generation will be installed, the community’s existing evaporation ponds will be de-silted and pipes will be installed to pump the water into the Shire’s tanks and dams. An easily accessible swipe-card standpipe for community access will also be constructed. The town’s desalination efforts will be bolstered by a $99,000 grant the shire secured through the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation’s Community Water Supply program. Merredin shire acting executive manager of engineering Daniel Hay-Hendry said the project was “an important trial for Merredin against a background of climate change”. “This project enhances the Shire’s long-term objective to improve water security and providing options like emergency water sources for our local farming community,” he said. “Excess water will then be integrated into the Shire’s irrigation network in order to maintain the town’s green spaces and support the local agriculture industry during times of drought. “This will in turn improve the Shire’s water security by reducing dependence on rainfall for irrigation.” The project will be completed in partnership with the Water Corporation, Murdoch University and Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, with three other regional locations set to be chosen to trial the technology in different regions. Mr Hay-Hendry said the project “strongly aligned” with the shire’s strategic vision for sustainability, which included sustainable water and energy harvesting, conservation and usage practices and reducing waste through increased recycling, re-use and reduction. “The research partnership with Murdoch adds an important element which will assist us to monitor and get the best outcomes from the unit,” he said. “Overall, this project enhances the Shire’s long-term objective to improve our water security and providing options for emergency water sources locally.”