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Innovative water desalination at Misty Ridge Plant Farm

Innovative water desalination at Misty Ridge Plant Farm

March 19, 2020

The Misty Ridge Plant Farm was awarded Regional Economic Development (RED) funding of $42,990 to deliver an inland desalination trial project. The Plant Farm specialises in the propagation and sale of native Australian and climate native plants. Inland desalination provides a sustainable alternative water source to scheme water, producing potable water suitable for the plants.

The project will trial a new method of disposing of the saline by-product of inland desalination. The highly innovative project will take brackish water from a bore, transfer the water through underground pipework to a reverse osmosis unit and dispose the highly salty waste water into a confined underground rock structure known as a dolerite dyke. 

This separates the water sources underground, preventing high saline water on one side of the dyke from increasing the salinity on the other side, so the waste water does not contaminate the surrounding groundwater or land.

Minister for Regional Development Hon Alannah MacTiernan MLC, WDC Chair Rebecca Tomkinson and CEO Gavin Robins visited the Misty Ridge Plant Farm on 14 February.

Owner Chris Davidson hosted a tour of the Farm, highlighting the project’s desalination plant, which Chris has largely designed and built himself, and is nearing full rates of production. The plant is producing up to 30,000 litres of quality water a day, giving the Misty Ridge Plant Farm adequate quality water supplies for its current breeding and propagation operations. Plans to expand the business operations will not be limited due to the scalability of the desalination plant.

Minister MacTiernan said “Mr Davidson’s efforts and the project outcome were significant and contributed greatly to the region’s store of knowledge regarding desalination that is replicable across a number of applications.”. The Hon Darren West MLC and Hon Laurie Graham MLC have also expressed great excitement for the project’s potential.   

Thanks to the injection of RED funding, this project will allow for the Misty Ridge Plant Farm to sustainably expand its operations, creating job opportunities for local people. The project is being keenly observed by Murdoch University and all learnings will be shared with people with an interest in treating brackish underground water through desalination, to reduce reliance on scheme water.

Acknowledgement of Country

The Wheatbelt Development Commission respectfully acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the lands that we live and work on: the family and clan groups of the Ballardong, Goreng, Gubrun, Kalamaia, Njaki-Njaki, Whadjuk, Wiilman, Wudjari, Yued and Yamatji People of the Noongar Nation, their Elders past present and emerging.

We acknowledge their living culture and important role in the sustainable economic development and prosperity of the Wheatbelt region. Led by Noongar wisdom and philosophy, we are committed to embracing opportunities for Aboriginal economic development, entrepreneurship and wealth creation; being a voice of change and reconciliation; supporting sustainable and healthy communities; and empowering future leaders.

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