Looking after all our water needs
Planning the Water Future » Allocation Planning » Upper Collie

The Upper Collie plan area

SWGWA map

The Upper Collie catchment is around 200 kilometres south of Perth, in the south-west of Western Australia.

Collie surface water

The Collie River runs through the catchment and is fed from its major tributaries: the Harris River, Bingham River, Collie River East Branch and Collie River South Branch.

The Wellington Reservoir on the Collie River is the largest reservoir in the south-west. Water in the Wellington Reservoir is of marginal quality and the Department is working under the Salinity Recovery Plan to restore fresh water quality.

The Harris Reservoir fills from the Harris River and is an important source of water for the Great Southern Towns Water Supply Scheme.

Collie groundwater

The major groundwater system in Collie is the Collie Coal Basin. This is made up of the Premier and Cardiff sub-basins.

Water planning in the Upper Collie

Go to plan

We have developed a draft plan for water resources in the Upper Collie surface and groundwater areas.

The plan was open for a three-month public comment period which has now closed. We will be releasing the statement of response, addressing comments on the plan, and the final plan later this year (2008).

We have received funding from the Australian Government's Water Smart Australia program to improve our understanding and management of Collie water resources. For more information on our Collie Water Smart Australia projects please click here [link to follow]

Why is the department preparing a water management plan for Upper Collie?

There are a number of reasons why we need to develop a water management plan for Upper Collie surface and groundwater. These include:

  • potential further water demands from regional industries
  • proposals to increase power production and coal mining
  • the search for public water supplies for the state's Integrated Water Supply System
  • environmental impacts from water abstraction
  • community concern over water use in the area.

How can I access information on Collie that the department has produced?

We are committed to making our technical information that is used in the planning process available to the public.

Please click on the links below to access the main reports relevant to Collie:

  The Upper Collie water management plan
Adobe Portable Document Format Upper Collie water management plan: draft for public comment
The public comment period on the draft Upper Collie plan has now closed. We will be releasing the statement of response, addressing comments on the plan, and the final plan later this year. 
 
Adobe Portable Document Format Upper Collie surface and groundwater allocation limits: methods and calculations
This report synthesises the methods and calculations we used to determine the surface and groundwater allocation limits of the Upper Collie. 
 
Adobe Portable Document Format Managing water in the Upper Collie: A status report on surface and groundwater management
This report synthesizes our understanding of the water resources, the background work we have completed, and the information we have gathered as part of developing the Upper Collie water management plan. 
 

  Hydro-geological reports
Adobe Portable Document Format HG 05 - Hydrogeology and Groundwater Resources of the Collie Basin, Western Australia
VARMA, S., 2002, Hydrogeology and Groundwater Resources of the Collie Basin, Western Australia, Water and Rivers Commission, Hydrogeological Record Series, Report HG 5  
 
Adobe Portable Document Format HG 15 - Groundwater model of the Collie Basin, Western Australia, complete report
The model of the Collie Basin has been developed using MODFLOW and the GMS graphical user interface to simulate groundwater flow and evaluate the impacts of different management strategies on the basin's water resources. This is a large document (11Mb) and has been provided in two formats; the complete report or in two parts, see below. 
 

  Social report
Adobe Portable Document Format Upper Collie Water Management Plan Issue Scoping Report
Prepared by Beckwith Environmental Planning for the Department of Water. 
 

  Ecological reports
Adobe Portable Document Format Preliminary Ecological Water Requirements of Collie River East Branch: Risk Assessment of Salinity Mitigation Diversion Scenarios
 
Adobe Portable Document Format Environmental Water Provisions Collie River South Branch
This study recommends the ecological water requirements for the Collie River South Branch. It includes a social assessment of river pools and the environmental water provision criteria for pool supplementation. 
 
Adobe Portable Document Format Environmental water requirements study Harris River and East Branch of the Collie River
This study recommends the environmental water requirements for the Harris River and East Branch of the Collie River, downstream of the confluence to the South Branch. Prepared for the Water Corporation by Welker Environmental Consultancy and Streamtec Pty Ltd.  
 
Adobe Portable Document Format Lower Collie River ecological water requirements review
This is a synthesis report reviewing the lower Collie River ecological water requirements. The report covers stream morphology, riparian vegetation and fish passage. 
 

  Source options report
Adobe Portable Document Format Water source options in the Collie-Wellington Basin
Report to the Government of Western Australia by the Water Source Options Steering Committee. 
 

Further information

For licensing information, please contact the South West Regional office in Bunbury. Phone 08 9726 4111.

For planning information, please contact the Department of Water's Water Allocation Planning branch. Phone 08 6364 7600 or email collieplanning@water.wa.gov.au