|
The Shire of Wyndham-East Kimberley is headed for a confrontation with the State Government over future development of Kununurra. The Water and Rivers Commission, which has taken to calling itself the Department of Environment, has hurriedly put together an interim report on the Kununurra Water Reserve Drinking Water Source Protection Plan. The interim report recommends the establishment of a Priority 1 (P1) area that far exceeds the 500-metre recommended area surrounding a bore field. The area contains an old rubbish dump, a drum dump, bits and pieces of old cars, mounds of broken bottles, hectares of feral leucaena and sorghum, a caravan park, and borders on the Victoria Highway. Residents, who want to inspect the area, only need to drive down the track opposite where Ivanhoe Road and the Victoria Highway intersect. It was once the playground for Kununurra, complete with a diving platform. If the Department of Environment gets its way, it will never be reinstated as an area for recreation and a centre for future tourism. The knee-jerk reaction seems to be aimed at the clearing of feral leucaena undertaken by houseboat owner Darren Spackman in recent times. He has cleared a large portion of the area of feral trees, leaving the natives in place. Darren wants to provision houseboats from the site and had applied for a lease for a small section of the area. An independent hydrological study concluded the houseboat operation would have no detrimental impact on the bore field. Darren looked almost certain to get Shire backing at Tuesday's meeting. He has attracted the backing of Aboriginal elders, who would like to see a cultural centre built in the area, the Shire, which would like to see future development and several government departments, which have no objections to the clearing of feral trees. |
The only sticking point is the Department of the Environment, which employs several of Kununurra's most outspoken green activists. The current bore field is argued by many to be in an inappropriate location, susceptible to polluting factors. Indeed, traces of pesticides have been found in the past during monthly testing. The interim report does concede that should an alternative drinking water source be identified, approved by government 'this interim report will be reviewed with the objectives of helping reduce the shortage of land for developing of Kununurra.' However, the main thrust of the report is definitely to exert the department's influence as strongly as possible over the area, with veiled reference to the Ramsar Wetlands status. How the department can continue to support the present location is had to fathom, when in its own report it admits that: "recreational activities in and around Lake Kununurra, such as swimming, boating, canoeing and fishing, bush walking, camping and exercising animals all increase the risk of contamination by increased access, pathogen transfer and spillage of chemicals such as fuel." The report also acknowledges the danger from Kununurra's stormwater runoff into the 'Borrow Pits' (old town dump), which are located on the P1 area. However, while it sees the need to have this area designated P1, it doesn't see the need to excavate the old dump, as the report suggests that the water flow through the aquifer doesn't go through this area and it is 'monitored regularly' (the Water Corporation tests once a month). The Shire has reacted strongly to the interim report and, in a letter to Premier Geoff Gallop, said: "The release of the above document [interim report] is premature and has the potential to drastically impact on the future development potential of the town of Kununurra." The letter states that council strongly believes that further work is required to justify the boundaries of the proposed water reserve and to identify more appropriately located water sources. |
"The action taken by the Minister in releasing this document is contrary to the directions being taken by the Shire, Department of Planning and Infrastructure and Land Corp," the letter says. "All agencies have requested that more detailed hydrological investigations be undertaken prior to the formal release of any document that places development constraints on prime developable land." The Shire claimed the Water and Rivers Commission's attitude had been 'insular and narrow-minded' throughout the various discussions. Several letters to the Minister for the Environment have remained unanswered. The Shire says community feedback on the plan seems to have been either discounted or ignored. Councillors were hoping to have the opportunity to discuss the problems with Premier Gallop when he visited the area with a group of potential investors towards the end of October. However, the Premier has pulled out and Minister for the Kimberley Tom Stephens will show the group around. The whole thing seems a cynical exercise when the State Government has shown so little interest in the future development of Ord Stage II or even the expansion of the housing-short town of Kununurra. Whilst a great advocate of the East Kimberley in Opposition, Mr Stephens has shown little interest since becoming a Minister, other than in the proliferation of small communities and providing addition housing in others. His leadership in now needed more than at any time before to resolve Kununurra's land shortage, water problems and facilitate the slow expansion into Ord Stage II. After all, much of the revenue from the region's mining, agriculture and tourism goes to prop up the State Government's finances. It would only make sense to foster growth in that investment - not let it strangle through neglect. |