WA Premier Mark McGowan warned Alcoa to lift its game or face curtailed mining, but his predecessor Roger Cook slashed water supply protections after a possibly empty threat from the US miner.
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WA Premier Mark McGowan warned Alcoa to lift its game or face curtailed mining, but his predecessor Roger Cook slashed water supply protections after a possibly empty threat from the US miner.
WA Premier Mark McGowan told Alcoa in 2023 that it must better protect Perth's water supply or face curtailed mining and "significant job losses," but nine months later his successor, Roger Cook, folded and did the opposite.
Now Water Corporation, which considers contamination of its dams from Alcoa's strip mining a certainty, wants the independent EPA to back reinstating the protections Cook removed.
At stake is the water supply system for more than two million people in WA’s capital and South West and thousands of jobs at Alcoa.
After a worst-case contamination from Alcoa's mining in six hours 100,000 Water Corporation customers could need bottled water, followed by widespread long-term water restrictions.
Documents obtained by Boiling Cold freedom of information requests reveal the tussle between the $US13 billion aluminium giant and Water Corporation, and the very different approaches of two Labor premiers.
Almost all of Alcoa's strip-mining of jarrah forest since 1963 has been in water catchments in the Darling Range. There, dams collect runoff that supplies about a quarter of Perth's water and, over winter, store excess bore and desalinated water for use in summer.
In recent years, Alcoa's mining has moved north into hillier country closer to Serpentine Dam - the system's largest reservoir.
The proximity to the water's edge and steep slopes has increased the risk of sediment contaminating the dam after a heavy rainfall, making the water impossible to treat for human use.
Alcoa's operation is vast - it is allowed to strip mine 800 hectares a year - the equivalent of two Kings Parks - and is responsible for 49 square kilometres of cleared land in the jarrah forest, as at December 2025, more than twice the size of Rottnest Island.
The public was unaware that Alcoa's then low-profile operation less than 60km from Perth's CBD threatened their water supply until a leaked government briefing was reported in February 2023.
It revealed that runoff containing sediment, chemical pollutants and disease-causing pathogens could render water undrinkable for years. Fixing the problem could cost billions of dollars.
Weeks later, WA Premier Mark McGowan wrote to Alcoa demanding it demonstrate it could effectively protect Serpentine Dam's drinking water and improve its forest rehabilitation.
A Boiling Cold freedom of information request obtained the letter, but for a further eight months Alcoa objected to releasing one redacted paragraph.
The miner only relented after the Information Commissioner made it clear she was about to rule in favour of disclosure.
The crucial paragraph reveals how serious the Premier was about Alcoa: improve or the government will restrict your mining, even at the cost of many jobs.
"The Western Australian Government is concerned that if Alcoa does not appropriately address these issues, this could result in significant job losses due to the halting of future operations."
WA Premier Mark McGowan to Alcoa 29 March 2023
Two months later McGowan announced a surprise retirement.
His deputy, Roger Cook, won the Labor Party vote to replace him after the Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union, which covers Alcoa's refinery workers, abandoned the candidate of its own Left faction to support him.
By the end of the year the outlook would be better for Alcoa, but bleak for the security of Perth's water supply.
Roger Cook soon had an opportunity to write some new rules for Alcoa.
In August 2023, the WA Environmental Protection Authority called for public comment on whether it should assess Alcoa's mining.
Under WA's Environmental Protection Act, it is illegal to progress a proposal the EPA is assessing, meaning that if the watchdog decided to look at Alcoa, much of its operation would have to shut down. It was the unintended result of legislation written with new projects in mind, not existing ones.
The Government started work on an exemption order to allow Alcoa to keep mining, while assessing a five-year mining plan proposed by the miner.
A detailed Water Corporation assessment damned Alcoa's plan.
"Bauxite mining operations represent the single most significant risk to water quality in Perth"
"Probability of contamination ... is considered certain."
"Mining impacts are persistent and irreversible"
Water Corporation 2023 risk assessment of Alcoa's 2023-2027 mine plan
The Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER) did not endorse the plan.
"There is likely a high level of risk to public drinking water"
"Could render water from the (Serpentine) Reservoir unusable for a period of weeks, months or, in extreme circumstances, years."
DWER 54-page Overview
The Water Corporation board was told that its past advice to protect water quality no longer had Government support, "recognising that JTSI (now the Department of Energy and Economic Diversification) and DWER had formal instructions to have no impact on social or economic factors."
In other words, under Cook it was jobs for thousands before water for millions, the opposite of McGowan's stance.
The Water Corporation board was told the Government required "a relaxation in the existing conditions on Alcoa ... allowing Alcoa to mine over a larger area and without almost any constraints outside 1km of the high water mark of the dams."
The "existing conditions" imposed on Alcoa in previous mining plans stopped Alcoa mining near dams, on steep slopes, or near groundwater and limited how much of a valley (or sub catchment) could be cleared.
A later briefing discussed the Corporation's push to "influence the reinstatment of historic constraints to mining."
In contrast to Water Corporation's talk of existing conditions being relaxed and working to have them reinstated, an Alcoa spokesman said: "there has been no reduction in controls related to water protection applied to our operations."
"Alcoa has not had a negative impact on WA’s drinking water supply since operations commenced," he said.
Peter Milne
In December 2023, Cook's Government approved Alcoa's mining plan and granted it an exemption order that enacted the current lower standards.
It happened days after the US miner told Cook that it was "not economically viable for Alcoa to completely retreat" from "operating in higher risk areas."
The $13 billion company went on to make an $881 million profit in Australia over the next 12 months.
Boiling Cold asked Alcoa whether the large profit showed its WA operations could still have been economically viable with significantly less access to higher-risk areas.
An Alcoa spokesman said in this context economic viability did not mean profitability but the ability to supply sufficient bauxite to keep its alumina refineries operating, "therefore the basis of your question is incorrect."
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In June the WA Government announced it would update the current exemption order "in coming weeks."
The move gives the Cook Government an opportunity, if it wants, to reinstate the water supply protections it removed in 2023.
Environment Minister Matthew Swinbourn would not say if the new order would reduce the risk to the water supply, but said its terms and a new Alcoa mining plan remained under active consideration.
Exemption orders are temporary measures until the EPA makes its recommendations to Swinbourn and the Government imposes a new modern regulatory regime onto Alcoa.
The Water Corporation's 2025 submission to the EPA, obtained by a Boiling Cold freedom of information request, calls for the independent watchdog to support the reimposition of the "the four key principles of catchment management" Cook removed.
It may be some time before the EPA reveals if it backs the state-owned utility's consistent calls for Alcoa's mining to be not too close, not too steep, not too much and not too deep.
In February, Alcoa told investors the EPA was likely to make its recommendations by June, with the Environment Minister to hand down his decision by December, but the EPA assessment is still underway.
EPA chair Darren Walsh said the Authority continued to review Alcoa’s responses to the public submissions and was focused on completing its assessment and finalising its report for the Minister.
WA Forest Alliance (WAFA) campaigner Jason Fowler wants the Government to immediately ban Alcoa from Reservoir Protection Zones (RPZs) that extend 2km from the dam water's edge, where strip mining is allowed but much lower impact activites like hiking are forbidden.
The Alcoa spokeman said it would not seek to mine in RPZs when seeking apporval to mine in new areas.
WAFA also wants no new mining in drinking water catchments, and all current mining there to cease by 2028.
"Without these protections, the quality and quantity of drinking water from Perth's water supply dams is at severe risk," Fowler said.
From 2018 - Alcoa's mining moved into hillier areas closer to the critical Serpentine Dam
- Steeper slopes significantly increased the risk of runoff from cleared areas contaminating the water supply.
May 2019 - Australian Drinking Water Guidelines adopted for managing drinking water in WA
- Then WA Health Minister Roger Cook made the decision.
- "The guidelines are based on international best practice"
From January 2021 - The Mining and Management Program Liaison Group (MMPLG) imposed more stringent conditions on Alcoa's mining
- The Australian Drinking Water Guidelines guided the MMPLG.
- The restrictions (see table above) were applied to Alcoa's 2021-2025 Mine Management Plan (MMP), and later to its 2022-2026 plan.
19 March 2021 - Roger Cook appointed State Development Minister
- Cook assumed primary responsibility for dealing with Alcoa as the US company operates under state agreements, not regular legislation.
21 September 2022 - Cook tells Alcoa he does not support mining in constrained areas
- Letter revealed through a Boiling Cold FOI request
- Cook does not permit mining in areas steeper than 16 per cent or where clearing is greater than 30 per cent of a sub-catchment
January 2023 - Alcoa submitted a draft 2023-2027 MMP for review by the MMPLG
February 8 2023 - A leaked WA Government document revealed that Alcoa threatened Perth's water supply
- Drinking water from Serpentine Dam, Perth’s biggest, could be rendered undrinkable for years.
March 29 2023 - WA Premier Mark McGowan writes to Alcoa: shape up or be shut down - new document
- letter revealed through a Boiling Cold FOI request
"I am concerned to hear that Alcoa is yet to address key issues raised by the WA Government through the existing MMP assessment process."
"Of particular concern is the need for Alcoa to clearly demonstrate its commitment to (and effectiveness of) drinking water protection in Serpentine Dam and the related matter of improving forest rehabilitation"
And the paragraph Alcoa fought for eight months to hide:
"The WA Government is concerned that if Alcoa does not appropriately address these issues, this could result in significant job losses due to the halting of future operations."
McGowan wanted his Government and Alcoa to:
"explore all options to mine outside of high-risk 'constrained' areas within drinking water catchments"
April 6 2023 - A week later, McGowan went public and demanded Alcoa satisfy regulators that the water supply is safe
“They need to find areas that don’t risk the water supply, or they need to satisfy our regulatory agencies, which are very, very cautious that the measures they put in place will prevent any runoff of that nature into our water supply.”
June 8 2023 - Roger Cook becomes Premier, maintains the state development portfolio
- Cook won with the shock backing of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) that abandoned the candidate of its Left faction, Amber-Jade Sanderson.
- The AMWU represents workers at Alcoa's WA alumina refineries
October 2023 (approx) - Water Corporation completed its analysis of Alcoa's 2023-2027 mining plan
- The 107-page "detailed risk assessment" was damning:
"Probability of contamination of the reservoirs is considered certain."
"Mining impacts are persistent and irreversible, with little evidence that mined areas can be effectively returned to an equivalent pre-mining state"
"Bauxite mining operations represent the single most significant risk to water quality in Perth"
"The cost of treatment for all dams where mining and/or exploration is intended ... is in the order of $3.25 billion"
October 2023 - The Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER) warns the Government about the risks of Alcoa's plan.
"DWER does not endorse the current draft MMP (mine plan) in its entirety"
"There is likely a high level of risk to public drinking water sources and native flora and fauna."
"Could render water from the (Serpentine) Reservoir unusable for a period of weeks, months or in extreme circumstances years."
6 December 2023 - Water Corporation Board briefed on the Government's intention to placate Alcoa
"Water Corporation would like to highlight that its advice has not been included in the conditions of the Exemption Order, recognising that JTSI and DWER had formal instructions to have no impact on social or economic factors."
"Water Corporation's past advice that was aiming to support water quality ... was not supported."
"A relaxation in the existing conditions on Alcoa was required (by the Government), allowing Alcoa to mine over a larger area and without almost any constraints outside 1km of the high water mark of the dams."
8 December 2023 - Alcoa threatens job losses if it is not allowed to perform high-risk mining
- Alcoa letter to WA Premier Roger Cook revealed through a Boiling Cold FOI request
- Higher risk areas include those close to reservoirs, with steep slopes or a high proportion of mining.
"It is not economically viable for Alcoa to completely retreat" from "operating in higher risk areas."
14 December 2023 - WA Labor Government removes water supply protections
- Roger Cook approves Alcoa's 2023-2027 mining plan with relaxed conditions (see table above) imposed on Alcoa in an Exemption Order
- This action ignored expert advice and was counter to McGowan's April promise that Alcoa "need to satisfy our regulatory agencies."
"This transitional framework allows us to support local jobs while strengthening protections for our environment." Premier Roger Cook
"We've made it clear to Alcoa that protecting Perth's drinking water remains paramount." Environment Minister Reece Whitby
23 April 2023 - Cook denies knowledge of Australian Drinking Water Guidelines he decided WA should use
Listener calling into ABC Radio Perth:
"Why have you downgraded the threshold of the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines to allow Alcoa to keep operating, given that our (water) catchments are at risk from their operation?"
Cook:
"I'm not aware of the thresholds that you speak of, but obviously that's something I can look into."
August 10 2024 - Roger Cook orders bureaucracy to provide advice that prefers mining
- The Premier signs off on new arrangements for governing bauxite mining in WA
- MMPLG dissolved
- Water Corporation, which "has a distinct obligation to apply a preventative approach ... in line with the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines", is excluded from decision-making
"Help Government ensure there is a clear path of where mining is preferred into the future for both Alcoa and Worsley"
This documents what Water Corporation wrote in 2023: "JTSI (now DEED) and DWER had formal instructions to have no impact on social or economic factors."
5 March 2025 - Independent expert GHD hired by Alcoa finds its mining is a high risk to Perth's water supply
- The 456-page report was the result of work conducted over more than three years
- GHD found that 21 of 22 pathways for Alcoa’s mining to contaminate dams presented a high risk
29 April 2025 - Revealed that Alcoa Australia made a profit of $881 million in 2024
- 2024 is the first year of Alcoa mining under weaker conditions since 2020
- The high profit indicated Alcoa was likely to be economically viable with stronger conditions than imposed by the Cook Government.
29 May 2025 - Alcoa Environmental Review Document (ERD) released for comment
22 August 2025 - Water Corporation calls for EPA to back reimposing effective water supply protections - new documents
- documents revealed through a Boiling Cold FOI request
- Water Corporation letter to WA Environmental Protection Authority, Alcoa ERD Assessment, 22 August 2025
- Water Corporation submission to EPA on Alcoa proposals, 21 August 2025
- Water Corporation wants the EPA to recommend the reimposition of the water supply protections removed by Cook in 2023.
"To manage the ongoing catchment risks from the Alcoa proposals, Water Corporation supports the four key principles of catchment management (historically addressed in the MMPs)."
3 June 2026 - WA Government announces it will update the exemption order Alcoa has operated under since December 2023
- Media release
- To be "finalised over the coming weeks" to reflect a new mining plan submitted by Alcoa "giving certainty and consistency to both the regulator and Alcoa."
- No mention of improved protections for the water supply or environment
12 July 2026 - Cook moves responsibility for Alcoa to the new State Development Minister David Michael
- Media release
See the complete set of documents on Alcoa's mining in WA made available by Boiling Cold.
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