In the 2025-26 Western Australian State Budget, $543 million has been allocated to increase capacity and reliability of the Goldfields and Wheatbelt regions’ water supply.
The state government says this will fast-track stage one of critical long-term upgrades to the Goldfields and Agricultural Water Supply Scheme (GAWSS).
The GAWSS, comprising the Goldfields pipeline, is Western Australia’s longest water scheme supplying more than 100,000 homes, farms, mines and businesses in the region.
Since its commissioning in 1903, the 566km pipeline has played a key role in sustaining residential, agricultural, and industrial activities across the region.
However, the state government says sustained economic growth means the scheme is now operating close to capacity during the peak summer months.
The project’s first stage will increase scheme capacity by up to 7.2 million liters daily from 2027 to meet growth and industrial expansion, as well as enhance the reliability of the scheme.
Member for Kalgoorlie Ali Kent says for more than 120 years, the water pipeline has been a lifeline for the region.
“This incredibly significant investment from the Cook Government is something I’ve been advocating strongly for over the last four years,” Kent says.
“The increased supply of water for the Goldfields will deliver essential upgrades to ensure the pipeline keeps pace with what our community needs now, while work continues on planning for our future.”
Western Australia’s Goldfields region, particularly areas around Kalgoorlie, is renowned for its gold mining activity, contributing substantially to the region’s economic output and employment.
The goldfields have a rich history, stretching back further than the gold rushes of the nineteenth century, making it a key gold mining hotspot.
For example, the Yilgarn-Craton, which sits in the region, is estimated to contain up to 30% of the world’s known gold reserves, as reported by the Western Australian Museum.
Kalgoorlie, which also sits in the Goldfields region, is centered on an array of old river systems that originally drained eastward to the sea in the area that is known as the Nullarbor Plain.
According to the Western Australian Museum, these drainage systems were bred when the land was uplifted between 34 and 56 million years ago. During this time, the climate was wetter and rivers had cut their channels into the land surface.
As such, vast salt lakes remain in these ancient river systems, which fill up and flood during heavy rainfall — which occurs every few years.
The Western Australian Government expects to begin work early next year, pending state and federal environmental and heritage approvals.
To preserve the heritage value of the 122-year-old Goldfields Pipeline, the project will be delivered in line with a heritage interpretation strategy and management plan, informed by a 2023 community research project.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: Western Australian Government
