CSIRO Adapts Mining Water Technologies to Improve Supply in Remote Indigenous Communities

Water treatment expertise initially developed for Australia's mining sector is being adapted by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) to address water security challenges in remote Indigenous communities, including Mungalla Station near Ingham in North Queensland.

Mungalla Station, owned by the Nywaigi Traditional Owners, operates cultural tours and ecotourism activities. While mains water is located roughly 1.2 kilometres away along Forest Beach Road, the homestead currently relies on trucked-in water because the on-site bore water contains natural contaminants that make it unsuitable for direct consumption.

Securing clean drinking water remains a significant issue across regional Australia, where 70 per cent of the land mass is arid or semi-arid. Groundwater in these areas often carries high levels of salts or microbial contamination. According to reported data, national water consumption increased by 12.9 per cent in 2023–24, while streamflow has declined at more than a quarter of Australia's reference river gauges.

CSIRO has previously developed filtration, desalination, and brine management technologies to treat complex, highly saline, and acidic wastewater generated by mining operations. The national science agency is now applying the knowledge gained from these industrial projects to regional water treatment.

At Mungalla Station, CSIRO is collaborating with the Nywaigi people and training organisation On Common Country to implement a nature-based water treatment system. The approach incorporates traditional botanical knowledge to select local plant-based biomass, which is converted into structured bio-carbon to filter and remove naturally occurring contaminants from the groundwater.

CSIRO research team leader Dr Ramesh Thiruvenkatachari noted that community collaborations require solutions tailored to local conditions, including shifting population demands and variable infrastructure. The initiative includes training and intellectual property recognition to enable local operators to maintain and run the water treatment systems independently.

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