The Western Australian Government has called for comment on the development of a plan to ensure continued availability of high quality drinking water in Esperance.

 

Department of Water Manager Water Source Protection Planning Nigel Mantle said the Esperance Water Reserve drinking water source protection plan: draft for public commentreleased today is part of a strategy that aims to protect drinking water sources throughout Western Australia.

 

“This is an important issue and we want to be sure everyone has an opportunity to be involved in the protection of this drinking water source,” Mr Mantle said.


When finalised, the revised plan will replace the 1999 Esperance Water Reserve water protection plan.

 

The update proposes amending the water reserve boundary to remove two sections from the water reserve, and adjusting the priority of three sections to reflect current zoning. No private landowners will have the priority area of their land increased.

 

“The draft plan outlines the location of the water reserve, existing and future land uses and potential water quality risks,” Mr Mantle said.

 

The draft plan:

  • identifies land uses, activities and risks to water quality within the Esperance Water Reserve
  • recommends management strategies to improve protection of water quality to ensure a reliable, safe and high quality water supply
  • proposes priority areas and wellhead protection zones to protect against incompatible land uses and activities in the catchment
  • proposes to proclaim amended boundaries for the Esperance Water Reserve under the Country Areas Water Supply Act 1947.

 

The plan can be found here