A Pilbara Aboriginal corporation has accused the WA government of mismanaging an aquifer critical to a national park and Karratha’s drinking water supply.
One of Western Australia’s most influential Traditional Owner groups has accused the WA government of mismanaging an aquifer critical to a Pilbara national park and Karratha’s drinking water supply.
Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation on Monday lodged a submission to the Environmental Protection Authority to examine the impact of climate change and industrial use on the water level and quality of the Millstream aquifer.
The Millstream aquifer feeds the waterbodies of Millstream-Chichester National Park and the West Pilbara Water Supply Scheme – Karratha’s drinking water source.
State government research has found an average of 6 gigalitres per year could be drawn from that aquifer to ensure there was enough water in the system for the environment.
But the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation is allowing Water Corporation to abstract up to 9 gigalitres per year until 2027.
Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation chief executive Michael Woodley said the aquifer had been subjected to industrial and residential use for 50 years with no agreement to do so from Traditional Owners.
“This water has been taken from our cultural and spiritual heartland without our free, prior and informed consent, which has long been an established United Nations principle," he said.
“This is contrary to best practice and has been extremely damaging to our environmental and spiritual well-being.
“The Yindjibarndi people have been raising serious concerns with the state government in recent years about the declining water levels and the creeks that are meant to be running but are dry, and yet we have not seen affirmative action even when the community has worked hard and in good faith to propose solutions to reduce extraction to sustainable levels.”
YAC is calling for restrictions to be placed on the aquifer and has flagged concerns if this is not done, drawdown could further intensify from the “heartland” of the Yindjibarndi Nation.
It argues existing abstraction rates were already impacting surface water flows and breaching groundwater triggers.
The Department of Water and Environmental Regulation told Business News in September the extra 3GL allocation gave Water Corporation time to develop new water sources.
“Water Corporation hasn’t breached any of its licence conditions for the Millstream aquifer,” a DWER spokesperson said.
“Triggers are in place to help Water Corporation make early decisions that ensure they continue to manage the impacts of their abstraction.”
Despite knowing for more than one decade of the 6GL limit, Water Corporation was allowed to draw up to 15GL until 2022.
A separate study by YAC found sustainable water drawdown from the aquifer was even lower now, at 4GL, due to climate change.
The West Pilbara Water Supply Scheme is drawn from three sources.
Harding Dam is supposed to be the primary source but has been unreliable for some time due to the unpredictability of the Pilbara’s wet seasons.
The Millstream aquifer is drawn on to make up the supply shortfall from the dam.
A third source, the Bungaroo aquifer, is used primarily by Rio Tinto for dust suppression at its Dampier port operations.
That use is also causing significant concern among the aquifer’s Traditional Owners, the Robe River Kurruma people.
YAC wants the state government to implement industrial water restrictions, disperse borefields, and develop an interim groundwater source north of Millstream until a better source can be identified.
