Health Stream Article - Issue 59 - WA Catchment Access Inquiry

The West Australian Legislative Council Standing Committee on Public Administration has completed an Inquiry into Recreation Activities within Public Drinking Water Source Areas. The results of the Inquiry are contained in a 162 page report tabled in the West Australian State Parliament on 22 September. The inquiry was established 12 months ago and gathered evidence from 193 written submissions and thirteen hearings, as well as visiting several dams and catchments in Western Australia and Queensland. The issue of public access to drinking water catchments has had a high profile in Western Australia since late 2007 when the Minister for Water Resources announced that the Logue Brook Dam (used for irrigation and public recreation) would be closed to public access so that it could be converted into a drinking water supply storage. A State election in September 2008 saw a change of government, the plan to use the Logue Brook Dam for drinking water was reversed and the dam was then reopened to public recreational access.

A number of lobby groups subsequently campaigned for a relaxation of access restrictions to existing drinking water catchments in the state, citing social and economic benefits that would arise from such changes. The Legislative Council then asked the Standing Committee on Public Administration to recommend what policy should be taken with regard to recreation access to catchment areas from the Perth hills to the south-west of the State. The Terms of Reference of the Inquiry were to investigate:

• The social, economic and environmental values and costs of recreation access, where possible, to Perth hills and south west drinking water catchments, including the costs and benefits to public health, water quality, recreation, Indigenous culture and management options.
• State, interstate and international legislation, policy and practice for recreation within public drinking water source areas, including information relating to population health benefits and impacts. 
• The range of community views on the value of water and recreation in public drinking water source areas. 
• The costs and benefits of alternative water quality management strategies and treatment for water catchments containing recreation. 
• Possible recreation sites or opportunities available outside the Perth hills and south west drinking water catchments.

The Inquiry Report contains 14 findings and 11 recommendations. The principle finding is that the use of public drinking water source areas for both recreation and drinking water is untenable as a result of:

• the risk of human pathogens being introduced to drinking water;
• the cumulative effect of human presence in the catchments having potentially adverse ecological impacts affecting water quality; and
• the need to protect surplus desalinated water which is being stored in various catchment reservoirs.

The Committee therefore recommended that there should be no increase in the amount of current recreational activity in the outer catchments of public drinking water source areas. The Committee recognised the social and economic value of recreational activities on and near dams, and recommended continuation of current collaborative efforts between relevant government agencies to identify suitable water bodies for these purposes that are not used for drinking water supply. Recommendations were also made that by-laws relating to catchment protection should be strengthened and penalties for breaches increased.

Under the Standing Orders of the West Australian Legislative Council, the State Government is required to respond to the Report within four months.
The Report can be downloaded from: http://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/web/newwebparl.nsf/iframewebpages/Committees+-+Reports