Exmouth wastewater upgrades

What’s happening?

We are planning to relocate and upgrade Exmouth’s existing Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP). The existing system is close to reaching its treatment capacity because the town is growing. To support this growth, we are preparing for a new Water Resource Recovery Facility (WRRF) to be built at a proposed site north of the golf course.

The project includes building a new pump station, a new WRRF, pipelines between sites, a new treated‑wastewater storage dam, and a new disinfection system. We will continue to reuse treated wastewater for irrigation around town.

Treatment options for the new WRRF are being investigated (waste stabilisation ponds and activated sludge treatment).

Why is this happening?

Exmouth’s current facility is almost at full capacity. As the town grows, more wastewater will need to be treated safely.
Upgrading the WRRF will:

• Support future growth and development in Exmouth
• Improve the quality of treated wastewater
• Increase opportunities to reuse treated wastewater for things like irrigating ovals and the golf course

Government funding will be required to build the new facility, and planning work is now underway so that funding can be sought once conceptual design work is complete.

What planning work has been completed?

Aboriginal heritage surveys and early environmental surveys have been completed. Conceptual design work is also in progress.

Planning investigations and concept design for the preferred treatment option are expected to take a further nine months to complete.

After that, government funding will be requested before detailed design work and construction can begin.
Construction is expected to start in 2029 and be complete around 2030.

Where is this happening?

The current WWTP is located just south of the Exmouth Golf Club.

The proposed new WRRF site is on land north of the golf course, refer to the map below. A new pipeline will connect the current site to the new one, and treated water will continue to be delivered to the Shire’s irrigation areas.

Protecting the environment

We are working carefully to make sure the upgrade supports Exmouth’s environment.
This includes:

• Investigating the best treatment technology to improve treated wastewater quality
• Maximise reuse of treated wastewater for irrigation to reduce abstraction from a constrained water source
• Carefully designing pipelines and storage areas to minimise impacts on land and vegetation

Our goal is to build a modern, reliable facility that supports Exmouth’s growth while protecting the surrounding environment.