Perth water supplies could halve by 2030
March 3, 2010 (AAP) A worst-case scenario on Perth’s water resources says supplies could dip by nearly 50 per cent in the next 20 years. A CSIRO report has projected a marked decrease in river flows and water yields in WA’s South-West by 2030. It said under the best case scenario surface water yields would decrease by 4 per cent and in the worst case the reduction would be 49 per cent by 2030. The sustainable yields project report was of considerable concern, Climate Change Minister Penny Wong said. “We know that the Perth region has already experienced a reduction in surface water runoff of around 50 per cent since the mid-1970s, a change that shows trends and patterns that are consistent with human-induced climate change,” she said. “The report highlights the likelihood of a further reduction in Perth’s water supplied by 2030, which is of considerable concern.” The study, part of the Water for the Future initiative, covered a 40,000 square kilometre area between Geraldton, in the Midwest, to Albany on the south coast. Key findings from the study found the south-west of the state would face a one-quarter reduction in water availability by 2030, relative to the past 30 years. …
