Mining billionaire Andrew Forrest's controversial plan to alter the natural river system on his large outback WA cattle station is under renewed legal scrutiny, with his lawyers arguing the intervention is needed to help solve the region's water shortages.

Mr Forrest had planned to build 10 specialised weirs along a section of the Ashburton River which flows through his Minderoo Station in the state's Pilbara.

The weirs would capture an estimated 8.4 gigalitres of water per year, with the precious resource in short supply across the region.

The plan was initially rejected by the State Administrative Tribunal (SAT) in 2023, where it was decided the primary benefit of the project would not benefit the overall general interest of the community.

In that decision, Justice Janine Pritchard

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