Joint media statement: $6 million water pipeline to secure water supply from Katanning to Kojonup

The Hon Tanya Plibersek MP, Minister for the Environment and Water
The Hon Simone McGurk, WA Minister for Training; Water; Youth

• A section of 60-year-old pipeline between Katanning and Kojonup has been replaced
• Project to improve water supply security to those in Kojonup and along the pipeline
• Jointly funded by State and Federal Governments and delivered by Water Corporation

Residents in and around Kojonup in Western Australia's Great Southern region will soon benefit from more reliable water thanks to a $6.3 million upgrade to ageing water infrastructure in nearby Katanning.

The project involved replacing 2.2 kilometres of pipeline from Pemble Street to Kojonup-Katanning Road, easing pressure on other supply infrastructure and reducing potential leaks.

The upgraded main is part of a 40-kilometre conveyance pipeline, which runs along Kojonup-Katanning Road and supplies drinking water to more than 530 homes and businesses in Kojonup.

Work began in May 2023 and was done by majority Aboriginal-owned construction company, Benang.

The project was delivered by Water Corporation and jointly funded by the Federal and WA Governments through the Australian Government's National Water Grid Fund (NWGF) as part of the $43.8 million Western Australia Connections package.

A further eight regional WA projects partially funded under the NWGF are in various stages of delivery. 

The WA Government, through Water Corporation, has allocated more than $290 million for new water and wastewater projects in regional WA in FY 2023–24, including $43.4 million for projects in the Great Southern. 

Quotes attributable to the Federal Minister for Environment and Water, the Hon Tanya Plibersek MP:

"Water is one of our most precious resources. We're working to deliver secure and reliable water to communities right across Western Australia.

"Projects like this that upgrade old water infrastructure mean we can move water more efficiently to where it's needed, reduce leakage, and ensure communities and farmland along the pipeline can get a reliable supply.

"This is a win for regional WA and its residents in and around Kojonup."

Comments attributed to Western Australian Water Minister Simone McGurk:

"This project is yet another example of the WA Government investing in infrastructure that delivers secure, sustainable drinking water to regional Western Australians.

"This financial year alone, the Cook Government has allocated $43.4 million towards water and wastewater projects in the Great Southern.

"These projects, along with those jointly funded through the National Water Grid Fund, are important in ensuring reliable, secure water supply to customers, now and into the future."