Work will begin to build a new desalination plant at Billy Lights Point on the Eyre Peninsula, after the State Government approved plans to deliver a sustainable long term water source for the region.

Eyre Peninsula’s future water security is at serious risk with water levels running low in the region’s underground aquifers.

There are approximately 35,000 SA Water customers on the Eyre Peninsula, with around 75 per cent of the region’s drinking water sourced from these groundwater basins.

Plans for the project were recommended for approval by the State Commission Assessment Panel and were subsequently approved by Blair Boyer MP under delegation.

As part of the approval, 22 conditions were accepted including, final design documentation to be submitted to the Minster for Planning, Stormwater Management and Bushfire Management plans to be prepared and that all stormwater design and construction need to be in accordance with council requirements and engineering practices.

Investigative works have already been undertaken to inform the design of the plant, as well as connecting land and marine infrastructure.

The design of the desalination plant has been modified based on community feedback. The new design includes a trenchless construction method for the installation of the plant’s intake and outfall pipes which is where seawater will be drawn in and concentrated seawater will be dispersed.

The pipes will be in a deeper area off the coast of Billy Lights Point, up to a kilometre offshore to minimise impact on the marine environment.

The Eyre Peninsula Landscape Board earlier this year advised that a review of the region’s Water Allocation Plan is likely to recommend a significant reduction in the amount of water SA Water is licenced to extract from groundwater sources from 1 July 2026.

Early indications have shown increased salinity levels in the aquifers. Continued extraction of water from these vital groundwater sources at current levels would lead to irreversible damage, meaning they could not be used to supply drinking water and would impact water allocations to all farmers and primary producers across the Eyre Peninsula.

In response to this advice, SA Water recently updated its water security response plan for the region to level two. This means water resources meet current demand but there is limited opportunity to support growth.

To help conserve water until the desalination plant is built, SA Water is offering rebates to its customers on Eyre Peninsula for water efficient appliances and household fixtures.

The need for an Eyre Peninsula desalination plant and its location has been the subject of intense scrutiny since first touted as a long-term solution to the region’s water security in 2008.

Former Liberal Water Minister David Speirs first flagged the Billy Lights Point project in 2018 before shelving it and establishing a site selection committee without any funding attached, leaving the region in danger of running out of drinking water.

The site selection committee’s proposed Sleaford West site would have cost up to 50 per cent more than the estimated $330 million Billy Lights Point location, with that increase to be worn by all SA Water customers across South Australia.

The Sleaford West site also posed a number of construction, geological and transport challenges that would have been difficult to overcome.

Billy Lights Point was endorsed as the preferred location for a plant by the SA Water Board in early 2023, following a comprehensive site selection process over several years, with investigations conducted into more than 15 potential locations.  

A South Australian Research and Development Institute report into the environmental impacts of a small desalination plant at Billy Lights Point found it can be built with minimal impact to the local marine environment.

Early preparatory works for construction of the desalination plant are planned to begin before the end of the year, with first water expected to be delivered by mid-2026.