Water Minister Dave Kelly announced today that Shires of Boyup Brook and Plantagenet would join four other regional communities in receiving funding in the second round of the McGowan Government’s $3.2 million Community Water Supplies Partnership Program.
Many communities in the State’s South-West have experienced significantly reduced rainfall due to the impacts of climate change. The Community Water Supplies Partnership Program is part of the McGowan Government’s ongoing commitment to ensure regional communities that are affected by climate change have access to reliable agricultural and emergency livestock drinking water sources.
The Shire of Boyup Brook will receive a $75,687 grant towards increasing water security through the installation of two new 250 kilolitre water tanks at the Flax Mill Precinct and with the upgrading of building gutters to enable rainfall runoff to be captured off the large storage sheds at the site.
This installation of the tanks will increase the Shire’s capacity to capture and store non-potable water which will be made available for emergency off-farm and firefighting purposes.
The project will also increase public amenity as the water will be used to irrigate the play areas around the precinct.
The Shire of Plantagenet will receive a $75,371 grant towards increasing the town of Mount Barker’s Frost Park Dam’s water holding capacity from 5,000kL to 14,000kL.
The project complements a key objective in the Shire’s 2020 Water Management Strategy to maximise the town’s non-potable water supplies to reticulate sport and recreational facilities and parklands.
The water from the dam will also be made available during dry periods for emergency farm and firefighting purposes.
The $3.2 million Community Water Supply Partnership Program is a collaborative program between the Commonwealth and Western Australian Governments.
As part of its ongoing commitment to ensure WA farmers have access to reliable emergency water sources for agricultural livestock drinking water, as well as firefighting and town amenity purposes, the McGowan Government has invested $4 million in community off-farm water supply projects since 2018.
In November 2021, the McGowan Government announced an additional $10.5 million in funding over the next two years for projects to help secure additional off-farm non-potable water supplies for agricultural communities, including the upgrade and refurbishment of 70 agricultural area dams from the Mid-West through to the Wheatbelt and Great Southern.
As stated by Water Minister Dave Kelly:
“Congratulations to the Shires of Boyup Brook and Plantagenet in securing this funding for their projects, which will strengthen local water security and further develop fit-for-purpose water supplies.
“These important projects provide many benefits to the community, including increasing public amenities and providing an important backup emergency water source.
“These projects are an excellent example of how the Community Water Supplies Partnership Program with local governments can help rural communities adapt to changing rainfall patterns by establishing infrastructure that maximises the use of available water resources.”
As stated by Warren-Blackwood MLA Jane Kelsbie:
“The Community Water Supplies Partnership Program with Local Governments is a great initiative supporting our rural communities to harvest water and use it to increase water supply and security for dryland towns.
“By ensuring we take full advantage of stormwater runoff, we can reduce the need to use valuable town scheme water supplies at standpipes for emergency livestock and community use.
“I congratulate the Shires of Boyup Brook and Plantagenet for being proactive in building our community’s drought resilience and boosting their towns’ non-potable water supply.”
