Water Corp vs Alcoa: Access to Dams at Risk

0:00Here's more Sydney news for March 12th. Perth's main water supplier is locking horns with mining giant alkoa over limited access to sites near the city's key drinking water dams. The water corporation says fences around alkoa's operations in state forests have cut off ranges from monitoring water quality and their short on. Critical data from the company and regulators. Internal documents obtained through freedom of information requests highlight the issue. Back in May 2025, the corporation noted how these restrictions slashed their oversight near vital dams like serpentine. They repeatedly asked for reports on chemical spills and drainage problems, but hit road blocks. The stakes are high for Perth's supply, which draws from areas where alkoa mines. No pollution shows up yet, but expansions raise crisis risks, affecting reliability, energy costs, and consumer bills. Alkoa's $100 million guarantee is seen as a deterrent, not a fix for major incidents. Water corporation officials are pressing alkoa via advisory groups for better site entry

1:04and timely info sharing. Alkoa counters that they work hand in hand with regulators, boosting distances from reservoirs and water practices for safety. Campaigners from the WA Forest Alliance call it unacceptable and urge full monitoring access. Meanwhile, separate probes into alkoa breaches, like mining near protected trees, continue, with one allegation recently dismissed as erosion. The Daily News Now is powered by our sponsor. Headphones in a pillow, simple idea, surprisingly addictive, S-O-L-I-SOLYPILLOW.com