Within 200 m of the ocean, the WA Government calls a garden bore generally unsuitable
By Artigellence ·
The WA Government's garden bore guidance lists land within 200 m of the ocean or the Swan River Estuary among the areas generally unsuitable for a garden bore, because of saltwater intrusion risks. On a coastal block in the Joondalup–Wanneroo corridor, look the address up on the Perth groundwater map, which shows suitability and salinity, before a driller is booked.
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What the guidance says about the coast
The Department of Water and Environmental Regulation's answers on garden bores say that not every area suits one. Whether a bore works depends on the local hydrogeology, including the soil's ability to store groundwater, the risk of poor or contaminated water, and nearby environmental features such as wetlands.
Its list of areas across Perth that are generally unsuitable includes land within 200 m of the ocean or the Swan River Estuary, because of saltwater intrusion risks. The same list names the Cottesloe Peninsula for the same reason, the suburbs around Secret Harbour and Port Kennedy because fresh groundwater is very limited, and the foothills, where groundwater is patchy. The 200 m line is the only entry given as a distance, so it is the one a coastal block in the northern corridor can be measured against. The page calls these areas generally unsuitable; it does not state a prohibition.
What the Perth groundwater map shows for your address
The Department points to the Perth groundwater map as the way to check. You enter a property address and read its tabs: the estimated depth to the watertable and to the base of the Superficial aquifer beneath the property, an indication of groundwater salinity, iron staining risk, acid sulphate soil risk, and whether the area is suitable for garden bores.
The depth to the base of the Superficial aquifer is worth noting before a quote. The map's own page describes it as the maximum allowable bore depth for non-commercial use without the Department's approval. The page was last updated in November 2022, and the map gives estimates, so treat it as the first check rather than the last.
Questions to put to a driller on a coastal block
Ask whether they have looked the address up on the map, and what it says about suitability and salinity there. The Department recommends an experienced and accredited driller, and says the driller should give you a bore log recording the bore's depth and soil composition, its yield, and the pump's make and model. On a coastal block that record is worth keeping for any later owner.
Once the bore is running, the Department recommends having the water tested regularly at a NATA-accredited laboratory, against the water quality indicators it publishes for irrigation. Near the coast, salinity is the reading to watch.
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