Water Corporation unable to undertake “critical operations” within Alcoa minesites internal documents claim

Throughout 2025, Water Corporation was unable to access assets to undertake “critical operations” within Alcoa mine sites according to newly revealed internal documents. New documents released under the Freedom of Information laws by the WA Forrest Alliance have revealed a timeline of tension between Water Corporation and Alcoa throughout 2025. Water Corporation has expressed concern over its ability to monitor Perth’s water security as outlined in the revealed documents. One document from February 2025 stated Alcoa’s mining operations within the Darling Range presented a “significant increase in risk” to associated drinking-water sources. The document stated Alcoa’s mining operations would need to be “closely monitored” and managed to ensure security of the region’s water supply. However, by May 2025, a separate document claimed Alcoa had fenced of its mine sites within State forests and had imposed controls of access for Water Corporation rangers. The documents said rangers needed to be escorted into the areas to access assets and were not allowed to fly drones near mining activities. “Water Corporation’s ability to monitor water quality within the mining areas is significantly diminished,” the documents said. “Water Corporation is working through these constraints, seeking solutions with Alcoa to allow us to undertake our critical operations.” In the same document, Water Corporation claimed it was no longer receiving Alcoa’s mining plans from the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation which it said removed visibility of Alcoa’s mine planning and prevented Water Corporation from planning risk mitigation controls. Water Corporation said it was still experiencing issues with site access for its rangers to conduct inspections in the catchment in another document released in August, three months after voicing concerns. Speaking to the Reporter, a Water Corporation spokesperson said the utility had been forthright in engaging with Alcoa to remedy previous concerns over site access and to ensure data is shared in a timely and comprehensive way. “In collaboration with regulators, we continue to thoroughly monitor all mining activity in proximity to public drinking water catchments and to ensure Alcoa fulfils its commitments under the WA Government’s Transitional Approvals Framework,” they said. “Water Corporation’s position remains that protecting drinking water at its source provides the strongest protection for public water supplies.” Alcoa has hit back at concerns, however, with a spokesperson saying the company did not erect fencing on mining areas as a matter of course, only when required for public safety, with gates across some forest tracks to prevent unauthorised vehicle access. “In these cases, Alcoa works with DWER to provide keys for access,” they said. “In more than 60 years of operation we’ve never negatively impacted Perth’s drinking water supply and are focused on maintaining that record.” “We continue to strengthen our relationship with Water Corporation and established processes are in place to enable visibility of our current and planned mining activities and Water Corporation’s ability to monitor water quality.” However, Conservation Council of WA executive director Matt Roberts said the lack of oversight revealed in the documents was “alarming”. “At a time when we see increasing questions around Alcoa’s practices in our Northern Jarrah Forest, we are seeing mining exemptions handed to them from the State and Federal governments,” he said. “The loss of our forests is bad enough but we also have our drinking water being put at risk, with limited oversight and little to no accountability.” Bunbury-based advocacy group Community Alliance for Positive Solutions Inc chair Vince Puccio said the developments raised concerns about transparency and independent oversight to decisions affecting public water safety. “Leading authorities such as the Australian Water Association and the Productivity Commission emphasise that independent technical input and open decision-making processes ensure best-practice water governance,” he said. “To date, there have been no public reports of enforcement action or prosecution related to these access restrictions or transparency issues. “This situation raises important questions about whether regulatory processes are adequately protecting public interests.” A document revealed in the FOI from October last year said a recent study by GHD identified a “high risk” of contamination of Perth water supply from Alcoa’s bauxite mining. WA Forest Alliance senior campaigner Jason Fowler said the risk Alcoa’s forest mining poses to Perth’s drinking water was simply unacceptable”. “And Alcoa knows it,” he said. “Alcoa and the Cook Government must urgently heed the utility’s advice on managing the threat to drinking water, and ensure full access to monitor Alcoa’s activities,” he said. The Alcoa spokesperson, however, said, the report was commissioned by Alcoa as part of its transition to the contemporary Environmental Protection Authority assessment process for our proposed new mining areas. “The purpose of that study, and of the many other studies undertaken, was to identify any potential risks to water associated with our proposed operations, enabling appropriate mitigations to be applied,” they said. “Such mitigations, which have already been implemented in current mining regions, include drainage controls, limiting activities close to water reservoirs, and prioritising rehabilitation work in previous mining areas near water reservoirs.”