Hon Lynn MacLaren asks the Minister for Water about garden bore usage, costs, and the impact of climate change on Perth's superficial aquifer. The Minister was unable to answer in the time available.

AnsweredQoN 1366Legislative Council
Asked
27 November 2014
Portfolio
Water

QuestionView source ↗

WATER — GARDEN BORES
1366. Hon LYNN MacLAREN to the minister
representing the Minister for Water:
(1) According to
the Department of Water's report ''Environmental management of
groundwater abstraction from the Gnangara Mound: Annual compliance report to
the Office of the Environmental Protection Authority July 2012 to June 2011''
dated December 2011, the department has installed 60 meters on domestic garden
bores located throughout the Perth metropolitan area to determine their average
water usage. This is 0.03 per cent of the total number of bores. Therefore —
(a) what is the average size of a
property with a garden bore, and the average irrigated area;
(b) what is the
average size of a property, and its irrigated area, that has one of these 60 metered
bores; and
(c) where generally are these 60 metered
bores located across the Perth metropolitan area?
(2) How did the
department determine that, after the introduction in November 2011 of the three-day-a-week
sprinkler roster, use per bore would decrease to 440 kilolitres a year; what
assumptions were made?
(3) How much
would it cost the government to replace garden bore demand should the
superficial aquifer collapse due to climate change and unsustainable
abstraction?
(4) How does this cost compare with
the current cost of meeting this demand through garden bores?
The PRESIDENT : I remind the questioner of standing order
105 about the need for questions to be concise; otherwise, we might need an
answer that turns into a novel.

AnswerView source ↗

I thank the member for some notice of this question. On
behalf of the Minister for Water the answer is —
Due to the level of information required, it is not possible
to provide an answer in the time available and therefore I request the
honourable member place this question on notice.

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