The Department of Water is preparing water source protection plans for the Denmark and Quickup Rivers and is keen to hear from local people on how the rivers' water quality can be best protected.
The department has a program to prepare drinking water source protection plans for all public drinking water sources in Western Australia. These plans aim to provide an appropriate level of protection, by assessing water quality risks and proposing actions to address these risks.
Program Manager for the department's regional South Coast office at Albany, Chris Gunby said the Denmark and Quickup Rivers had long been Denmark's source of potable water supplies.
"The department and Water Corporation are presently engaged in other activities to determine future water source options for the town and other centres, but in the meantime there is a need to protect the existing source," Chris said.
"The department is writing to landowners in the catchment area of the existing Denmark and Quickup dams seeking their input to the plan.
"At this stage we are most interested in identifying existing and potential risks to the water quality and coming up with actions to address these.
"Local residents' knowledge of the area is important. They know what is happening and have practical ideas on what can be done to fix these issues".
A steering group that includes the departments of Water and Environment and Conservation, Water Corporation, the Shires of Denmark and Plantagenet, and the Wilson Inlet Catchment Committee is overseeing development of the plan. Public input is being sought at this early stage and again when the plan is drafted by the end of this year.
People interested in learning more about the protection plan, or wishing to provide information on risks and management actions are invited to contact Daniel Endacott at the Department of Water in Albany on (08) 98425760 or Alana Thorpe 6364 7541.
Media contact: Dianne Dixon (08) 6364 6983 / 0419 910 847