In March 2018, Utility Magazine reported that Perth had sourced more than half of its water from desalination for the first time in 2016-17. According to the performance report of the Economic Regulation Authority (ERA), the share reached 51.5 per cent. The city's two desalination plants ran close to maximum capacity and produced a combined 149,823 megalitres. ERA chair Nicky Cusworth attributed this to the Water Corporation's strategy of drawing more water from climate-independent sources. After a record wet summer in 2016-17, unused desalinated water was stored in dams.
The report showed how far Perth had already decoupled its supply from rainfall: desalination ran close to full capacity, and surplus water from a wet year was stored for later years.
Source: Utility Magazine