AN environmental protection policy for Cockburn Sound has been released.
Environment Minister Judy Edwards said the policy had been built on an early warning system that would prevent major impacts that could threaten the social and environmental values of the sound.
"The new policy would provide stringent requirements on all industries discharging into the sound sound, including the new desalination plant," Dr Edwards said.
She said the policy set environmental criteria for measure such as salinity levels and dissolved oxygen.
An environmental management plan has also been produced for the sound by the Cockburn Sound Management Council that outlines on-ground actions for implementing the policy and establishes particular roles and responsibilities of managers and user groups.
Two technical documents have been published by the Environmental Protection Authority on the plan: The Environmental Quality Criteria Reference Document for Cockburn Sound and the Manual of Standard Operating Procedures for Environmental Monitoring against the Cockburn Sound Environmental Criteria.
All four documents are available at http://policy.environment.wa.gov.au