Perth groundwater extraction for bottled water sparks consumer concern

Every week, thousands of litres of groundwater are pumped from aquifers in and around Perth and trucked to bottling plants and sold, often bearing the name 'spring water'.

That's raised concerns for Roleystone resident Brad McManus, who believes it may be misleading consumers.

He's written to both the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and WA Minister for Commerce Tony Buti with his concerns.

"I'm not a lawyer, I'm not a hydrologist, I'm not a subject matter expert, I'm just an average consumer with a concern about the representation of bottled water," Mr McManus told Nadia Mitsopoulos on 102.5 ABC Radio Perth.

"It appears that the water is being artificially extracted, taken away in tankers, processed, packaged, bottled, promoted and sold as spring water.

"Where are all these natural springs along the Perth Darling Ranges?"

According to the WA Rights in Water and Irrigation Act of 1914, which governs the management and use of water resources, spring water is defined as: "A spring of water naturally rising to and flowing over the surface of land, but does not include the discharge of underground water directly into a watercourse, wetland, reservoir or other body of water."

The act defines water that flows from the ground into a well or bore separately as 'underground water'.

For Mr McManus, "It's like if someone were to label farmed fish as wild caught, or cage eggs as free range."

He's hoping either the ACCC or the minister can answer his concerns.

"I'm raising the concern as a consumer because I just think people need to know the truth," he said.

Food standards approve spring water label

Chief executive of the Australian Beverages Council Geoff Parker says bottled water labelling is covered by the Food Standards Code and allows groundwater to be marketed as spring water.

The code, which was last updated in April 2026, states that: "Mineral water or spring water means ground water obtained from subterranean water-bearing strata that, in its natural state, contains soluble matter."

"I think people are probably pretty clear that they expect their [bottled] water to be coming from a natural source as opposed to municipal town sources," Mr Parker said.

"It's probably well understood out there what spring water means."

Mr Parker said the ACCC had cracked down on water labelling in the past, outlawing the term 'organic water' on bottled water labels around 10 years ago.

Groundwater for bottled water controversial

It's the not the first time the use of groundwater by bottled water companies has caused consternation.

Many locals were concerned after ABC Radio Perth revealed two years ago that Coca Cola was taking thousands of litres from an unregistered bore in Karragullen, a part of the Perth Hills with many fruit growing businesses.

While the extraction was entirely legal, community concern prompted then water minister Simone McGurk to launch a review into the decades-old arrangement, while Coca Cola paused its extraction of water from the Karragullen site.

The state government has since launched a public map showing the extent of groundwater extraction for bottled water across the state.