THE Environmental Protection Authority has released a survey due next month for residents to provide feedback on Alcoa’s proposal to expand operations into sections of the Perth Hills.

Parts of Mundaring and Kalamunda have been included in the area outlined in Alcoa’s proposed expansion area, which covers drinking water catchments such as the Helena River which feeds the Mundaring Weir.

The ABC reported Water Corporation had serious concerns about drinking water contamination as a result of Alcoa’s mining.

In response to questions from Echo News, a Water Corporation spokesperson said the new expansion area did indeed encompass areas of the Perth Hills and that the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) urged residents to have their say.

“The mining and management program (MMP) increases the area of exploration available to Alcoa, extending Mundaring, Canning, Wungong and Harris dam catchments, parts of which sit within the local government areas of Kalamunda and Mundaring, among others,” they said.

“Our highest priority is supplying safe drinking water to the community.

“We are working constructively with key stakeholders, including the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation, to advocate for effective catchment controls that protect our drinking water dams and water quality.

“Protecting drinking water sources remains the most effective way to ensure safe and reliable supply.

“The EPA encourages all stakeholders and interested community members to make a submission on Alcoa’s expansion into future mining regions by August 21, 2025.”

According to EPA, Alcoa’s bauxite mining activities on the Darling Range are part of their mineral lease ML1SA which is documented in annual rolling five-year MMPs.

The documentation is a requirement of the state, and the 2023-27 program has not yet been approved although Alcoa operations in other parts of the state will still be undertaken in this time.

The lease concerning the Perth Hills would not include processing of bauxite ore into aluminium but is mainly looking at but not limited to clearing vegetation, establishing haul roads, transporting ore, rehabilitation and exploration activities.

The EPA accepted a referral from the WA Forest Alliance (WAFA) and will now assess the company’s mining plan.

WAFA said it was the first time in 60 years residents could have a say on Alcoa’s operations proposal.

Alcoa released an environmental review to the EPA with 13 assessment files and 79 appendices which remains accessible on the EPA’s page for Alcoa’s bauxite mining on the Darling Range from 2023-27.

In response, WAFA have released a guide for public submission to the EPA which said their most recent mining management program assessments were under review as part of the highest level of assessment possible by the EPA.

“Proposals by Alcoa to clear nearly 11,500 ha of the northern jarrah forest for bauxite mining are now under assessment by the EPA,” the document said.

“This is nearly 29 times the size of Kings Park.

“The EPA combined these two assessments ‘for the sake of efficiency and to allow better consideration of the combined and cumulative impacts to the northern jarrah forest’.

“The northern jarrah forest is one of the last great ecosystems of its kind; a rich, ancient, and incredibly diverse landscape found only in the Southwest biodiversity hotspot.

“It provides critical habitat for many plants and animals including black cockatoos and mainland quokkas.”

The WA Forest Alliance and the Conservation Council of Western Australia will hold a community meeting on the proposed expansion of drilling operations at Kalamunda Community Centre at 6pm on August 13.

Extra informational events will be available at Fremantle on July 29, Jarrahdale on August  6, and online via the End Forest Mining website on August 18.

The Alcoa spokesperson said the company's mineral lease has existed for more than 60 years and while the lease covers an overall envelope between Mundaring in the north and Collie in the south, they had no plans to mine in the catchment areas.

“The company does carry out some very low impact exploration work to define the extent of ore bodies throughout the lease area to assist in understanding the area’s geology, excluding national parks, conservation reserves and other areas of cultural, environmental and social significance,” they said.

“Exploration activity that may be undertaken to understand minerality does not indicate an intention to mine an area.

“Where exploration drilling may take place, we use custom-designed rigs that have minimal impact on the forest.

“In areas where any Alcoa operation do take place, we have rigorous controls in place to ensure any potential risks to drinking water are managed.

“In more than 60 years of exploration, mining and rehabilitation work carried out in the Northern Jarrah Forest Alcoa has never negatively impacted drinking water supply, and we intend to maintain this record.”