Reservoir plan big water saver for Boyup Brook

A major project in Boyup Brook is set to boost the town’s emergency water supply by making use of an old reservoir. The Boyup Brook Shire has received a $100,000 grant from the State Government for the project, which will involve connecting a 5.6km pipeline to an unused Water Corporation town dam reservoir to the non-drinking community water storage dam. The water will be made available as an emergency supply for farmers to access in dry months, as well as for firefighting and to irrigate public ovals, parks, and gardens. The pipeline is set to transfer 100,000 litres of water per day to the dam and at least 20 million litres per year. The expected increased water storage capacity is also set to save the town $25,000 annually by reducing water scheme use by 9.5 million litres per year. Water Minister Dave Kelly announced the funding on Thursday, with the money coming from the Government’s Community Water Supplies Partnership Program, which aims to boost regional communities’ resilience to the impacts of climate change. Mr Kelly said the new project was a “perfect example” of how the Government program should work. “I want to commend Boyup Brook for developing this project which builds on their water security plan and secures critical, additional non-potable water supplies for the town,” he said. “Securing the town’s unused drinking water supply will provide a reliable emergency water supply and reduce reliance on scheme water to irrigate public open spaces.’’ The Shire has also allocated $50,000 from its own budget to the project, which it expects to be completed in 2022.