❓ The Minister outlines steps being taken to secure WA's water future, including metering, aquifer investigation, and groundwater license audits, in response to a dry winter. The focus is on the Gnangara mound and Perth basin aquifers.
AnsweredQoN 789Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
WATER SUPPLIES
Can the minister outline what further steps are being taken to secure Western Australia’s water future, given that the state has just experienced one of the driest winters on record? Mr J.C. KOBELKE
Can the minister outline what further steps are being taken to secure Western Australia’s water future, given that the state has just experienced one of the driest winters on record? Mr J.C. KOBELKE
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for her question. I know that her electorate on the urban fringe has a range of water issues in which she has taken a keen interest. Part of her electorate also covers the Gnangara mound, which highlights the fantastic underground water resources available in the south west of Western Australia. I will comment on a few things that the government has done in that respect. The government has allocated $6 million for metering on the Gnangara mound, to make sure that we are planning properly. Proper planning must be based on correct scientific information, so we need to know what the draw is to make sure that we plan effectively. As part of that planning, the government is investing $9 million in investigating the Perth basin aquifers through a drilling program that will go on for some time. We have also instigated an audit of the existing ground water licences - I am talking here about major users, not suburban backyard bores - to ensure an accurate record of the amount that is being drawn under those licences and to make sure that where people have licences they no longer need, that water is made available to other users. This is an incredibly important program, in which we are seeking the engagement of all holders of major ground water licences so that we have a record not of only the amount of water that has been allocated in these licences but also the level of usage. With a closer match between the allocated amount of water and the usage, we can make sure that that water is available to people with increasing demand for water.
Mr J.C. KOBELKE replied: I thank the member for her question. I know that her electorate on the urban fringe has a range of water issues in which she has taken a keen interest. Part of her electorate also covers the Gnangara mound, which highlights the fantastic underground water resources available in the south west of Western Australia. I will comment on a few things that the government has done in that respect. The government has allocated $6 million for metering on the Gnangara mound, to make sure that we are planning properly. Proper planning must be based on correct scientific information, so we need to know what the draw is to make sure that we plan effectively. As part of that planning, the government is investing $9 million in investigating the Perth basin aquifers through a drilling program that will go on for some time. We have also instigated an audit of the existing ground water licences - I am talking here about major users, not suburban backyard bores - to ensure an accurate record of the amount that is being drawn under those licences and to make sure that where people have licences they no longer need, that water is made available to other users. This is an incredibly important program, in which we are seeking the engagement of all holders of major ground water licences so that we have a record not of only the amount of water that has been allocated in these licences but also the level of usage. With a closer match between the allocated amount of water and the usage, we can make sure that that water is available to people with increasing demand for water.
I thank the member for her question. I know that her electorate on the urban fringe has a range of water issues in which she has taken a keen interest. Part of her electorate also covers the Gnangara mound, which highlights the fantastic underground water resources available in the south west of Western Australia. I will comment on a few things that the government has done in that respect. The government has allocated $6 million for metering on the Gnangara mound, to make sure that we are planning properly. Proper planning must be based on correct scientific information, so we need to know what the draw is to make sure that we plan effectively. As part of that planning, the government is investing $9 million in investigating the Perth basin aquifers through a drilling program that will go on for some time. We have also instigated an audit of the existing ground water licences - I am talking here about major users, not suburban backyard bores - to ensure an accurate record of the amount that is being drawn under those licences and to make sure that where people have licences they no longer need, that water is made available to other users. This is an incredibly important program, in which we are seeking the engagement of all holders of major ground water licences so that we have a record not of only the amount of water that has been allocated in these licences but also the level of usage. With a closer match between the allocated amount of water and the usage, we can make sure that that water is available to people with increasing demand for water.
Mr J.C. KOBELKE replied: I thank the member for her question. I know that her electorate on the urban fringe has a range of water issues in which she has taken a keen interest. Part of her electorate also covers the Gnangara mound, which highlights the fantastic underground water resources available in the south west of Western Australia. I will comment on a few things that the government has done in that respect. The government has allocated $6 million for metering on the Gnangara mound, to make sure that we are planning properly. Proper planning must be based on correct scientific information, so we need to know what the draw is to make sure that we plan effectively. As part of that planning, the government is investing $9 million in investigating the Perth basin aquifers through a drilling program that will go on for some time. We have also instigated an audit of the existing ground water licences - I am talking here about major users, not suburban backyard bores - to ensure an accurate record of the amount that is being drawn under those licences and to make sure that where people have licences they no longer need, that water is made available to other users. This is an incredibly important program, in which we are seeking the engagement of all holders of major ground water licences so that we have a record not of only the amount of water that has been allocated in these licences but also the level of usage. With a closer match between the allocated amount of water and the usage, we can make sure that that water is available to people with increasing demand for water.
I thank the member for her question. I know that her electorate on the urban fringe has a range of water issues in which she has taken a keen interest. Part of her electorate also covers the Gnangara mound, which highlights the fantastic underground water resources available in the south west of Western Australia. I will comment on a few things that the government has done in that respect. The government has allocated $6 million for metering on the Gnangara mound, to make sure that we are planning properly. Proper planning must be based on correct scientific information, so we need to know what the draw is to make sure that we plan effectively. As part of that planning, the government is investing $9 million in investigating the Perth basin aquifers through a drilling program that will go on for some time. We have also instigated an audit of the existing ground water licences - I am talking here about major users, not suburban backyard bores - to ensure an accurate record of the amount that is being drawn under those licences and to make sure that where people have licences they no longer need, that water is made available to other users. This is an incredibly important program, in which we are seeking the engagement of all holders of major ground water licences so that we have a record not of only the amount of water that has been allocated in these licences but also the level of usage. With a closer match between the allocated amount of water and the usage, we can make sure that that water is available to people with increasing demand for water.
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