Kayaks and swimmers in public drinking water supply? Other states do it, so why don’t we?
Kayaks and swimmers in public drinking water supply? Other states do it, so why don’t we?
By Claire Ottaviano
February 13, 2025 — 2.00am
A push to review a recreation ban at Mundaring Weir has renewed calls to open up the drinking water catchment for swimming and other water activities.
Access to Lake C.Y. O’Connor at Mundaring Weir – which has supplied water to Perth, Kalgoorlie and the wider Goldfields region via the Golden Pipeline since 1903 – is limited due to government restrictions on recreational use at water catchments.
But an electors’ motion moved by Mundaring resident John Bell has called on the local government to advocate for an “independent expert review” of the state operational policy that prohibits recreation and public access in reservoir protection zones.
Bell said while a review would “flush out” inappropriate and appropriate uses, he would like to see non-fuel activities permitted on the water.
“Things like swimming, stand-up paddleboarding, canoeing, a nice walk trail around the full lake, mountain biking and even caravan and camping on the [disused] air strip are all possibilities,” he said.
“The nearest lake we have is Lake Leschenaultia, which gets packed at times, and we have [another] inland water body you could weave all that stuff into – It could be the jewel in the crown for Mundaring.”
The state’s policy for recreation in drinking water catchments – Operational Policy 13 – was most recently reviewed in 2019, with the review finding the prohibition of recreation should continue in the interest of protecting reservoirs from contamination.
According to the Water Corporation, about 26 per cent of Perth’s drinking water comes from its 13 metro dams, 36 per cent comes from groundwater and 35 per cent comes from desalination.
In 2014, Mundaring Weir got a $14 million upgrade to lower the water intake level, reducing the need to transfer additional desalinated water and groundwater to supplement the dam in times of low streamflow.
While the Shire of Mundaring council is yet to review and adopt the electors’ motion, there is a possibility the local authority sides with Bell, given it has already taken a similar stance on the matter.
The shire’s Economic Development and Tourism Strategy lists the potential to open up the catchment for recreation and tourism – including non-fuel related water activities such as kayaking and paddleboarding – as a low-advocacy priority.
It is also not the first time the shire has advocated this position.
The first known request came from former president John Ellery, who put forward the idea of using the lake for canoeing and sailing during his term in the late ’90s.
In 2018, then-president John Daw wrote to then-premier Mark McGowan to permit water-based recreation on Mundaring Weir.
McGowan responded that public access to the Mundaring Weir was not supported because of the significant public health risks and additional treatment costs it would involve.
In response to the latest push, a Water Corporation spokesperson said it did not support recreational access to protected drinking water catchments.
“The protected drinking water catchments around our dams, including Mundaring Weir, have been key to providing more than two million people with a secure, cost-effective water supply over many decades, via the Integrated Water Supply Scheme (IWSS),” they said.
“Mundaring Weir is the primary water source for the Goldfields Water Supply Scheme and the protection of this source is for the benefit of the whole scheme and all its serviced towns and communities, including Mundaring itself.”
They also said the WA public, via surveys, had also shown strong support for protected catchments, low treatment and safe drinking water, above the needs for recreation.
The Department of Water, Environment and Regulation saw likewise.
“Public access to the Mundaring Weir is not supported because of the significant public health risks and additional treatment costs it would involve,” a DWER spokesperson said.
They said the 2019 review of Operational Policy 13 had significant input from the public, government, and subject matter experts.
A review of Policy 13 is not currently being considered.
While most states around the nation have similar policies, not all bar recreational activities from water catchments completely.
In Queensland, some dams and reservoirs – such as Lake Wivenhoe, Lake Somerset and Hinze Dam – that supply public drinking water have designated recreation areas where activities are managed to balance water quality protection and public use.
More recently in 2019, South Australia Water progressively opened its reservoir reserves to the public for recreational access, with a total of 10 reservoir reserves now offering a range of outdoor activities such as bushwalking, cycling, fishing and kayaking.
An investment analysis by SA Water revealed that $30 million of net value is delivered each year by having the reservoir reserves open for community recreation, equating to a $9.42 return for every dollar invested in recreational access.
While the water at Mundaring Weir is off limits, its surrounds do offer recreational opportunities with the Bibbulmun Track and Munda Biddi mountain biking trail running adjacent, as well as picnic areas with barbecues and a museum showcasing the history of the Golden Pipeline.
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Claire Ottaviano is a breaking news journalist with WAtoday, and has extensive experience in local government reporting.
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