The Dampier to Perth natural gas pipeline was constructed in 1982-1984 for the State Energy Commission of WA. About 1,600 km long, it links gas fields in the Carnarvon Basin to mining, industrial, commercial and domestic customers located from the Pilbara to the southern part of the state.
It is Western Australia’s most important piece of energy infrastructure. Since 1984 , the pipeline network has since been extended to the Eastern Goldfields and the South-West regions.
Rockwater located, developed and tested water supplies at 12 borefields along the pipeline route in advance of construction commencing in 1982. The water was used for hydrostatic testing of the pipeline after each section was completed. Typically, 20 L/s of low-salinity groundwater were produced at each borefield. We also proved-up groundwater supplies at many additional locations for pipeline-construction camps, constructing and maintaining access roads, and supplying compressor stations.
Source aquifers for the pipeline project ranged from sedimentary strata of the Carnarvon and Perth Basins, to fractured metamorphic rocks and river gravels. Bores were constructed to depths in the range 30 m to 200 m below ground surface. Many of the borefields were located in remote areas with little no existing hydrogeological information.
The water supply for the Dampier to Perth gas pipeline has been Rockwater’s largest water-supply project for infrastructure construction. Twenty production bores were constructed for the hydrostatic testing, and subsequently made available for local use; some of which are still in operation.
