Works have begun to upgrade Western Australia’s Perth to Kalgoorlie water pipeline, designed by CY O’Connor and completed in 1903. The $543 million project will replace about 44.5 kilometers of the 566-kilometer-long pipeline and double the capacity of the Binduli Reservoir from 400 to 800 million liters. This renewal aims to increase daily water supply by 7.2 million liters from 2027, addressing a 16% rise in water demand over five years, primarily due to mining activities in the Goldfields region.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-05,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Works have begun on renewing Western Australia's Perth to Kalgoorlie water pipeline, one of the state’s oldest pieces of infrastructure. Designed by engineer CY O’Connor in the late 1890s after gold was discovered in the region, the project will replace 44.5 kilometers out of its total 566 kilometers, increasing the amount of water it can pump by 10%. The $543 million initiative also involves doubling Binduli Reservoir's capacity from 400 million liters to 800 million liters. Water demand in the Goldfields has risen by 16% over five years, and mining industries lack a commercial water supply due to salt levels six times higher than seawater. Starting in 2027, the upgraded pipeline will provide an additional 7.2 million liters daily for the Goldfields, crucial for supporting economic growth and diverse communities.
Written for “Perth Cbd Light Installation” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
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No political leaning scored for article 56709 · logged 2026-10-05
Works have begun on the renewal of one of Western Australia’s oldest working pieces of infrastructure – the Perth to Kalgoorlie water pipeline.
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Works → begin → Kalgoorlie
About 44.5 kilometres of the 566 kilometre-long pipeline, designed by famed WA engineer CY O’Connor, will be replaced to boost the amount of water able to be pumped through it by 10 per cent.
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kilometres → design → cent
The $543 million project also includes doubling the Binduli Reservoir capacity from 400 million litres to 800 million litres.
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project → include → litres
The demand for water in the Goldfields has increased by 16 per cent in the past five years, and Kalgoorlie’s mining industry is currently hampered by its lack of commercial water supply, with the existing pipeline for drinking water only.
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industry → increase → water
Most businesses draw water from the ground, which is six times as salty as seawater.
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which → draw → seawater
WA Water Minister Daniel Pastorelli said, from 2027, an additional 7.2 million litres would flow into the Goldfields every day.
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litres → say → Goldfields
“The Goldfields pipeline is one of the most important pieces of economic infrastructure in the state’s history,” he said.
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he → say → history
“It served the Goldfields and the Wheatbelt for now 120 years, providing water to a whole vast range of different communities and industries, and supported economic development for many, many years.
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It → serve → years
“Today marks the beginning of the next chapter.”
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Today → mark → chapter
The new section of the pipeline runs through the shires of Westonia, Merredin, and Yilgarn, and much of it will be buried.
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much → run → it
“The pipelines are being manufactured and delivered locally, and will last up to 150 years,” Pastorelli said.
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Pastorelli → manufacture → ?
Work began in the late 1890s after the first gold was discovered in what is now the (aptly named) Goldfields.
The pipeline was completed in 1903, but, famously, O’Connor never got to see water pumping through it because he killed himself at South Beach in Fremantle three weeks before the first pump station began operating amid a royal commission into the project.
Premier Roger Cook flagged this project was the first of more stages yet to be announced.
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project → begin → stages
The Cook government has previously raised pumping desalinated water from Esperence into the Goldfields as another solution to the region’s water woes.
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government → raise → woes
On Monday, Cook said that idea had been probed, but it was decided upgrading the existing Perth pipeline was a better investment.
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upgrading → say → pipeline
However, he noted Esperence would need a desalination plant at some point.
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Esperence → note → point
“We will need desalination plants that link and breadth of this state, both as part of a growing economy but also a drying planet,” he said.
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he → need → economy
“Whether you ultimately see a desalination plant in Esperance feeding the Goldfields region more generally, or simply meeting the needs of the growing Esperance community, I think you will need desal there.”
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you → see → desal
Kalgoorlie Mayor Glenn Wilson welcomed the start of works.
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Wilson → welcome → works
“If it wasn’t for water here in Kalgoorlie-Boulder, we wouldn’t be here,” he said.
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he → say → Boulder
“We welcome, after many years of not having a lot of maintenance or love spent on a pipeline, we’ve got it now and it’s happening.”
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it → welcome → it
The Aporia
