❓ Mr. Norberger asks about claims of wastewater dumping into Lake Joondalup. The Minister denies the claims, stating that while a bushfire caused a sewage overflow, it was contained and cleaned up, with no impact on the lake's environmental values.
AnsweredQoN 195Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
WATER
QUALITY — LAKE JOONDALUP
195. Mr J. NORBERGER to the Minister for Water:
Minister, yesterday the member for Bassendean made claims
about the dumping of wastewater into Lake Joondalup in my electorate. Can the
minister please advise the house on the veracity of those claims?
QUALITY — LAKE JOONDALUP
195. Mr J. NORBERGER to the Minister for Water:
Minister, yesterday the member for Bassendean made claims
about the dumping of wastewater into Lake Joondalup in my electorate. Can the
minister please advise the house on the veracity of those claims?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Joondalup for the question. As the
local member for that area, he no doubt has a vested interest in what happens
regarding the Water Corporation's activities.
The claim was made yesterday by the
member for Bassendean —
Several members interjected.
Mr F.A. Alban interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Swan Hills, your agricultural leanings are
coming up. I call you to order for the first time. Nobody can hear the
minister. So can you please let the minister answer the question.
Mr D.T. REDMAN :
Thank you, Mr Speaker, for your support.
On 15 November last year, a bushfire in that area affected
one of the wastewater pumping stations adjacent to Lake Joondalup. That fire
caused an electrical failure that meant that one of the pumps shut down. There
was then a need to get rid of the sewage that was flowing to that point, so a
number of trucks were commissioned to take it out. The trucks were unable to
keep up with the flows. The Water Corp then made a decision to allow about 750 000
litres to be pumped to an area adjacent to that pump site. It was not at any
stage pumped into Lake Joondalup—not at all. I want to make that point
extremely clear.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr D.T. REDMAN :
The intent was to put it into a contained area so that it could be cleaned up
later, and it was.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr D.T. REDMAN :
Once the pumping station was fixed, it was brought back on line before seven o'clock
the next morning, which meant that when peak load went through it, it was back
and commissioned. The job was then issued to clean up the area, which the Water
Corporation did in conjunction with the Department of Health and the Department
of Environment and Conservation. It meets all the protocols in place for such
events. They then totally disinfected that area, cordoned it off and put up
signage. They then undertook a testing regime to monitor whether there were any
impacts on that site. All the testing done since then by the local government
authority in that area has shown that it has not had any influence on the
environmental values of Lake Joondalup.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr
D.T. REDMAN : Last night I saw a picture of the member for Bassendean poking
around in the mud, which seems to be the natural environment for this member!
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr D.T. REDMAN : As
the opposition spokesman for water, he has shown so far that he puts out
mistruths and his media releases well before he engages his brain. I have seen
three claims he has made already to the public of Western Australia that are
misleading and untruthful. That might have been okay when he was a union
representative; it is not the standard that is expected of a member of
Parliament. He needs to put his effort into proper research rather than
misleading the public of Western Australia.
local member for that area, he no doubt has a vested interest in what happens
regarding the Water Corporation's activities.
The claim was made yesterday by the
member for Bassendean —
Several members interjected.
Mr F.A. Alban interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Swan Hills, your agricultural leanings are
coming up. I call you to order for the first time. Nobody can hear the
minister. So can you please let the minister answer the question.
Mr D.T. REDMAN :
Thank you, Mr Speaker, for your support.
On 15 November last year, a bushfire in that area affected
one of the wastewater pumping stations adjacent to Lake Joondalup. That fire
caused an electrical failure that meant that one of the pumps shut down. There
was then a need to get rid of the sewage that was flowing to that point, so a
number of trucks were commissioned to take it out. The trucks were unable to
keep up with the flows. The Water Corp then made a decision to allow about 750 000
litres to be pumped to an area adjacent to that pump site. It was not at any
stage pumped into Lake Joondalup—not at all. I want to make that point
extremely clear.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr D.T. REDMAN :
The intent was to put it into a contained area so that it could be cleaned up
later, and it was.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr D.T. REDMAN :
Once the pumping station was fixed, it was brought back on line before seven o'clock
the next morning, which meant that when peak load went through it, it was back
and commissioned. The job was then issued to clean up the area, which the Water
Corporation did in conjunction with the Department of Health and the Department
of Environment and Conservation. It meets all the protocols in place for such
events. They then totally disinfected that area, cordoned it off and put up
signage. They then undertook a testing regime to monitor whether there were any
impacts on that site. All the testing done since then by the local government
authority in that area has shown that it has not had any influence on the
environmental values of Lake Joondalup.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr
D.T. REDMAN : Last night I saw a picture of the member for Bassendean poking
around in the mud, which seems to be the natural environment for this member!
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr D.T. REDMAN : As
the opposition spokesman for water, he has shown so far that he puts out
mistruths and his media releases well before he engages his brain. I have seen
three claims he has made already to the public of Western Australia that are
misleading and untruthful. That might have been okay when he was a union
representative; it is not the standard that is expected of a member of
Parliament. He needs to put his effort into proper research rather than
misleading the public of Western Australia.
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