A groundbreaking solar-powered water filtration system is transforming access to clean water in remote Western Australia.
Designed to tackle high salinity and contamination, the solution is improving community well-being, supporting sustainable agriculture and sets a new standard for remote water management globally.
In November last year, Moerk Water took home the Innovating for Sustainable Water and Environmental Outcomes Award at the AWA Western Australian Water Awards, an acknowledgement of the outstanding success of the company’s Wongutha CAPS project.
Moerk Water designed and constructed a solar-powered membrane filtration unit to ensure sustainable water supply for Wongutha CAPS, an Indigenous vocational school located in the remote Goldfields-Esperance region.
The school provides essential education and life skills to 70 students and plays a crucial role in supporting the Aboriginal community, particularly through its focus on vocational training tailored to the needs of Aboriginal students.
The water treatment unit was commissioned in September 2023 and has successfully been providing water to the school ever since.
Moerk Water Partnerships & Operations Manager Jeremy Duke said the school faced significant challenges with access to clean water due to the high salinity and contamination levels in the local groundwater.
"These issues affected the students' health and the overall school operations. Water provision was becoming particularly challenging during the summer months. It was costing them quite a bit to get the water that they needed brought to them,” he said.
"The school is located 800 kilometres from the closest metro area. While there's plenty of groundwater there, having usable groundwater is a whole different thing."
Duke highlighted that Moerk Water’s solution for the Wongutha CAPS efforts is rooted in its mission to provide sustainable, clean water to where it is needed most. This mission is achieved through designs tailored to local conditions, sustainable water treatment technologies like chemical-free or closed-loop systems and empowering local communities for maintenance and operation.
As a result, the solution naturally aligns with several UN Sustainable Development Goals, including SDG 6 for clean water and sanitation, but also others around clean energy use, implementing circular economy principles, reducing carbon emissions and supporting sustainable agriculture.
"Access to clean water has played a vital role in fostering the students' well-being and improving attendance. These challenges directly impacted their quality of life,” he said.
“This project has created a replicable model for sustainable water use in rural and remote settings all across Australia and beyond."
Aside from the need to design a system that could treat highly saline groundwater using self-generated, solar energy, the unit also needed to manage the brine waste stream produced as a byproduct without causing environmental harm.
“This was addressed by using the brine to irrigate halophytes, which are salt-tolerant plants,” Duke said.
“So, we turned the waste product into a resource that supports local agriculture, and that was then fed to their cattle. Everything was getting used..3 It’s really a closed-loop solution, very much about that circular economy and making sure there is no waste."
The unit has 118 solar panels and has a battery bank that can power the unit for 17 hours. It has an AC coupled system, allowing the battery to charge while also maximising the power generated from the panels.
"The membrane filtration unit treats the groundwater into potable water that’s compliant with the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines. It produces 12,000 to 15,000 litres of clean water a day, with a peak capacity of up to 30,000 litres,” Duke said.
“Thanks to the solar array and the inverter setup, the system can operate for 17 hours per day on solar power alone, enabling it to produce up to 70,000 litres of clean water daily during optimal conditions.”
Duke said the surplus capacity has allowed the school to plan future uses for the additional water, which now costs nothing to produce for them.
“That’s one of the things we’re really proud of. In some of our other projects in the Pacific, communities produce water at such a low cost that they sell it to neighbouring areas,” he said.
“And a rising tide lifts all boats. Clean water doesn’t just solve one problem - it elevates the quality of life for the entire community."
Duke said ongoing upkeep of the unit is a shared responsibility between Moerk Water and the community. Training is provided to community members, but Moerk Water is also available ongoing for consultation regarding the unit’s operation and maintenance.
"We train local operators, but we also remain in touch and offer long-term support. For example, we’ve been working with a unit in Vanuatu for seven years now, ensuring it’s still operational,” he said.
"The training we provide goes beyond the unit itself. Operators often acquire skills to service reverse osmosis units in other industries, like hotels and resorts, creating additional avenues for employment.
"Our systems are purposely designed to be robust, with non-proprietary, easy-to-replace parts. We also incorporated remote monitoring. This allows our engineers to oversee its performance and optimise operations from a distance.”
Duke said working in remote locations brings logistical challenges, like transporting large equipment and coordinating local installers, but also poses significant challenges around design specifications, due to extreme weather and temperature fluctuations.
"Our design team’s expertise ensures systems are robust and tailored for specific local challenges. We’re not designing a machine for right now, we’re providing one that will keep going for 15 to 20 years,” he said.
"We’re just glad we can make a little bit of a difference. When you see how clean water elevates an entire community, it’s incredibly rewarding.
“You understand that clean water provides so much more than drinking – it changes lives."