Water inspectors shut out of Alcoa mine sites in Perth drinking water catchment, documents show

Fencing installed around Alcoa’s bauxite mine sites in 2025 blocked rangers conducting inspections, Water Corporation documents say Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Conservation groups have accused the US mining company Alcoa of blocking scrutiny of the effects of its mining operations on Perth’s drinking water after new documents revealed catchment inspectors were shut out of its sites. Briefing documents for the Water Corporation board also show the utility was frustrated that the Western Australian government had stopped giving it information about Alcoa’s mining plans, making it harder to manage potential threats. The WA Forest Alliance, which obtained the records under state freedom of information laws, claimed the “lack of oversight is alarming” and called on the Cook government to “ensure full access to monitor Alcoa’s activities”. Alcoa’s bauxite mining operations in WA’s northern jarrah forests span 12 public drinking water catchments that require regular monitoring. A study by the engineering consultancy GHD found the mining company’s expansion plans posed a high risk to the water supply for