14/12/01
A water supply development that helped to tackle a severe water shortage in Western Australia's agricultural areas more than 50 years ago was commemorated in Perth today.
Government Enterprises Minister Nick Griffiths unveiled a plaque marking the 50th anniversary of the raising of Mundaring Weir.
The dam, which supplies the historic Goldfields and Agricultural Water Supply Scheme (GAWS), was raised by 10m to allow the scheme to be extended to large areas of farmland.
Mr Griffiths told invited guests at the unveiling ceremony in the grounds overlooking the dam that prior to the raising of the wall many farming communities had been doing it tough without scheme water.
"Their lives no doubt changed considerably with the advent of regular supplies of quality water from Mundaring via newly constructed branch mains from the Goldfields pipeline," the Minister said.
"Expansion of the agricultural water supply network continues today, and a number of schemes have been undertaken in recent years with the input of labour and equipment from local communities.
"While our farming communities choose to live in often remote areas to contribute to the State's prosperity there is no reason why they should go without basic necessities."
Mr Griffiths said the GAWS was constantly being upgraded to meet growing demand for water. The Water Corporation was also planning for the development of new water sources in response to the current shortage and to assist the recovery from an extremely dry winter.
"The existing scheme could supply the anticipated demands of Kalgoorlie, Kambalda and Norseman for the next 20 years," the Minister said.
"Other high levels of planning for water supply security are being undertaken for Perth and other areas of the State.
"I have released the Water Corporation's planning strategy for public comment. It includes several options available to the Corporation, including water trading, desalination and other groundwater sources.
"It is important that the wider community has an opportunity to be involved in, and be aware of, current planning strategies."
Mr Griffiths said work at Mundaring Weir commenced in 1946 in response to a severe drought during which water carting became widespread.
On completion in 1951 the dam wall had attained its present height of 42m with a storage capacity of almost 64 million cubic metres.
Minister's office: 9222 8950
