Salmon Gums, a small farming town in Western Australia's south-east, has become the second area to be declared water deficient in the state.

 

Salmon Gums will now have water shipped in to the district in a similar fashion to the State Government's handling of the Great Southern Shire of Kent, which was declared water-deficient earlier in the year.

 

"The supply has run to almost empty so to have water carted there, paid for by State Government, is absolutely essential for the stock to survive in the Salmon Gums area," the Shire of Esperence President Ian Mickel told The ABC.

 

Although areas of Western Australia have received healthy amounts of rainfall over the last few weeks, major areas of WA's Wheatbelt region have remained dry.

 

The concern over rural drought comes as Perth's dams and aquifers could run dry as soon as December and will likely to have to be supplemented with recycled water.