Environmental protection Policy for Swan/Canning Rivers become law

10/7/98

A new policy to protect one of Perth's greatest natural assets became law today.

Environment Minister Cheryl Edwardes said the Environmental Protection Authority's (EPA) Environmental Protection Policy (EPP) for the Swan and Canning rivers had been gazetted.

"This EPP ensures the Swan and Canning rivers have the protection required to preserve them for future generations," Mrs Edwardes said.

"The Swan and Canning river system is one of Perth's greatest natural assets, but it is fragile and faces increasing pressures, particularly from agricultural and urban run-off, recreational and development uses.

"This EPP establishes statutory responsibilities for natural resource managers and requires the preparation of a comprehensive management plan by December 1999.

"The management plan will establish a framework for management of priority areas, programs for ongoing education and involvement of the community, timelines and milestones for implementation of the plan and a process to review and report on progress to the community and the EPA."

Mrs Edwardes said the EPP had resulted from increasing concern about the rivers' ability to cope with the pressures of long-term and acute environmental impacts.

The EPP linked to and supported the Swan Canning Clean-up Program draft action plan, which was to be released tomorrow by Water Resources Minister Kim Hames. The plan recommended a wide range of actions to improve catchment management and techniques to modify conditions in the Swan and Canning rivers to reduce algal blooms caused by excessive nutrients.

The action plan and EPP shared a common approach to reducing nutrient flows into the rivers and the EPP provided a statutory basis for many of the proposals in the action plan.

"Undoubtedly, the single greatest threat to long term protection of the Swan and Canning Rivers will be our ability to control new sources of pollution in the future," Mrs Edwardes said.

"The challenge is to develop a strategic and proactive approach to management so that these impacts are anticipated and catered for."

The Minister said the WA community had been consulted in the formulation of this EPP and thanked all those who contributed their views. The EPP is available from DEP offices in Kwinana, Bunbury, Kalgoorlie, Geraldton, Karratha and Perth (Level 8, 141 St George's Terrace, Perth).

Media contact: Nicole Trigwell 9421 7777