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All the efforts to have a rational solution to Kununurra's drinking water problems sorted out are being steamrolled by the bureaucracy. It would appear that after a firm arrangement was entered into some months ago between the Shire, Water Corporation and Dept of Environment (and funds committed by all three parties) to drill several test holes to ascertain the source, flow and quality of the water within the Priority 1 (P1) area prior to gazettal, the bureaucracy has decided to go ahead with the formal gazettal of that area, without the work having been undertaken. The area is bounded by Kimberleyland Holiday Park, Lake Kununurra, the highway and the main channel. Shire President Barbara Johnson said that while reviewing the proposed P1 protection area boundaries was not a local government role, the council had agreed to co-fund a proposed drilling program, as reducing the P1 area boundaries was a key issue for the future development of Kununurra. She said that gazetting the interim P1 boundaries at this stage defied logic and was a complete back flip from previous commitments made by the State Government. | She urged the State Government to stop the proposed gazettal until the drilling program had been undertaken and the community had scientific evidence of how much land needed to be constrained from development to ensure the continued high quality of drinking water to Kununurra. "One would have to ask why there is this change of direction, out of the blue, when the proposed works are scheduled to occur in the next month or so," she said. "Once again we are being controlled by the bureaucracy and one can't ignore the fact that we were informed of this decision the day after Parliament rose for the Christmas break, and with an election just weeks away." Shadow Minister for the North West Norman Moore has called on the State Government to desist from gazetting the PI area until all of the options for the area have been considered. Mr Moore said that the land to be included in the PI area was a highly desirable location for the future development of the Kununurra townsite and should not be tied up without further analysis. |
"The Government proposal will see prime waterfront land at Kununurra being excluded from any future development because of concerns relating to the quality of the town ground water supply", Mr Moore said. "It is my understanding that more work needs to be done to assess the need for such a large protection zone and this work should be done before the area is finally gazetted." Mr Moore said that the Government should also expend the necessary funds to determine if other sources of water were available for the town in the event that development on the waterfront was to adversely affect the water supply. "It is ludicrous that a town such as Kununurra, which is located adjacent to the State's largest water resource, should be denied the capacity to carry out development on land adjacent to the water," Mr Moore said. "Common sense must prevail here and the Government should back off until all the options are clear." |