THE PROJECT

The Kwinana Alumina Refinery was commissioned in 1963 and was the first of Alcoa’s three Western Australian alumina refineries.  It has an annual nameplate production capacity of 2.2 million metric tons and produces non-metallurgical alumina and smelter-grade alumina.  Approximately 75 per cent of the refinery’s total production is exported, and the remaining 25 per cent is shipped to Alcoa’s Portland Aluminium smelter in Victoria.

The refinery occupies approximately 1,500-hectares within the Kwinana Industrial Area.  Over 500 bores and other sampling points are regularly monitored for changes in water level and water quality that may result from Alcoa’s operations.  The data are collected by Alcoa and submitted to Rockwater for the preparation of annual compliance reports.

Rockwater has been preparing the annual compliance reports for the Kwinana Alumina Refinery since 2014.

Owing to the scale and complexity of the Kwinana operations, the compliance reports prepared by Rockwater are very comprehensive, typically running to over 100 pages of text plus 60 figures and 27 appendices.

Rockwater also prepares compliance reports for Alcoa’s Pinjarra and Wagerup Alumina Refineries, and has prepared the reports for Pinjarra since 2006.

We have also designed and supervised the construction of production, recovery and monitoring bores at the refineries to depths of 6-265 m, and we continue to provide Alcoa with hydrogeological advice for its various projects.

• Annual aquifer monitoring summaries
• Triennial aquifer monitoring reviews
• Mine closure planning