The next time swimmers hit a warm spot at the Riverton leisureplex they could rest easy knowing it was caused by the earth’s natural warmth.
The leisureplex officially opened its $3.2 million geothermal bore on October 14.
The bore was drilled underground over a kilometre to extract heated water.
The water is used to heat the aquatic centre’s water and air through a heat exchange unit.
The water from underground did not mix with the pool water and was returned underground with almost no loss of water to the underground system.
The project took 15 months to complete.
Canning chief executive Lyn Russell said the bore would save 588 tonnes of carbon emissions and $170,000 in energy costs per year.
“The carbon emission reductions and cost savings are an outstanding result for the community,” she said.
Member for Riverton and Energy Minister Mike Nahan said geothermal technology had become a popular method for water heating in WA, increasingly being used in schools and aquatic centres, and it was already used at the Cannington leisureplex.
“The Riverton leisureplex is a popular community asset with over 500,000 people visiting every year,” he said.
The project was made possible through funding of $700,000 from the Department of Sport and Recreation and $947,000 from the federal Department of Industry, Innovation and Science.
This Cannington leisureplex bore had been operating for three years.
