The Department of Water protects and manages drinking water supplies in Western Australia to ensure that the public has access to safe, good quality drinking water now and in the future.
We do this by using powers provided through the Metropolitan Water Supply, Sewerage and Drainage Act 1909 (WA) and the Country Areas Water Supply Act 1947 (WA).
To achieve this we:
- assist in defining new sources
- work with the community, local government and water service providers to identify, assess and protect public drinking water source areas by preparing drinking water source protection assessments and plans for new and existing water sources
- adopt the Australian drinking water guidelines 'catchment to consumer', multiple barrier, risk-based framework
- investigate and advise on land use activities that pose a contamination risk to public drinking water source areas
- prepare and implement policies and strategies with other State government agencies (e.g. Statement of planning policy no. 2.7: Public drinking water sources)
- develop and promote use of water quality protection notes, codes and guidelines describing best environmental practice
- promote improved legislation to protect drinking water sources.
Proclamation of public drinking water source areas
Our drinking water comes from both surface and groundwater sources.
They are proclaimed under the Metropolitan Water Supply, Sewerage and Drainage Act 1909 or the Country Areas Water Supply Act 1947 as either a Water Reserve, a Catchment Area or an Underground Water Pollution Control Area.
These Acts provide the powers necessary to legally define the boundary of the drinking water source.
They also provide by-laws which are used to help protect the water quality of these sources.
A list of proclaimed public drinking water sources in Western Australia is provided in the department's water quality protection note no. 75: Proclaimed public drinking water source areas.
Management of other drinking water sources across the state, such as remote community supplies, mine sites and private supplies are guided by legislation, policy and practice applied to the state's primary public drinking water source areas under the relevant acts.
Priority areas and protection zones
Once a drinking water source has been identified, it is important to ensure it is protected from contamination.
This is achieved by the development of drinking water source protection assessments and plans.
These documents provide a mechanism to define priority areas and protection zones in each public drinking water source area.
Once the priority areas or protection zones are defined in the drinking water source protection area, land use development and activities are considered - WQPN no. 25: Land use compatibility in drinking water source areas.
Legislative review
The current review of water legislation will streamline and clarify the protection of drinking water quality across Western Australia.
To contact us for information, or to provide feedback on the department's drinking water protection program, email drinkingwater@water.wa.gov.au.
- Click here for our policies
- Click here for State Water Quality Management Strategy publications
- Click here for our water quality protection guidelines
- Click here for our drinking water source protection plans and assessments
- Click here for water source protection publications prepared in conjunction with the WA Planning Commission
- Click here for our water quality protection notes
- Click herefor our Protecting your drinking water sources brochures
- Click here to view our advisory brochures relevant to drinking water
- Click here to go to the Geographic Data Atlas for a map of Public Drinking Water Source Areas
- Click here to open a register of drinking water catchments within each local government area
- Click here to go to the Logue Brook Dam project web page
- Click here for our drinking water source area maps
- Click here for our Proclamation maps under the Country Areas Water Supply Act 1947
- Click here for our Proclamation maps under the Metropolitan Water Supply, Sewerage and Drainage Act 1909
For further information please see the Water quality page and information in Managing water and Understanding water.