Two People’s Bay surface water area and Angove Creek

We are developing this plan to allocate, manage and protect the Two People’s Bay surface water area and Angove Creek.

Last updated: 25 January 2023

Two People’s Bay surface water area is located about 30 kilometres east of Albany, with water from Angove Creek used to supplement the public drinking water supplies for Albany and towns of the Lower Great Southern Region.

This area was proclaimed in 1997 under the Rights in Water and Irrigation Act 1914 to regulate how water is taken from Angove Creek, protect important environmental values and the long-term availability of the supply.

Water quality is protected by managing the land uses in the Angove Creek catchment drinking water source protection area , proclaimed in 2012 under the Country Areas Water Supply Act 1947.

The upper reaches of Angove Creek lie inside the Two People’s Bay surface water area, then flow into Angove Lake. The Angove system is an important water-dependent environmental feature of the area, supporting an isolated and landlocked population of the critically endangered Western Trout Minnow (Galaxius truttaceus hesperius).

The lower reaches of Angove Creek and a portion of Angove Lake are zoned Special Conservation, within a portion of the Two People’s Bay Nature Reserve.

The minnow and its environment are protected by the Fish Resources Management Act 1994 and the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. The 2008 Western Trout Minnow Recovery Plan was adopted as a National Recovery Plan under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

Two People’s Bay surface water area and Angove water source protection reserve

Plan area

The plan covers the proclaimed Albany groundwater area, the proclaimed Two People’s Bay surface water area and the unproclaimed groundwater resources of the surrounding Albany hinterland.

It is divided into groundwater subareas, surface water areas and prospective groundwater zones to manage the resources and how water is allocated. The Albany groundwater area is divided into six subareas:

Frenchman’s Bay
Sandpatch
Prison
Racecourse
Grasmere
Marbellup.

The Two People’s Bay surface water area is where water is pumped from Angove Creek.

The Albany hinterland groundwater resource areas are the King River, Kalgan River, Manypeaks and Nanarup zones.

Albany and hinterland water allocation plan area

Groundwater use in this plan area is mainly for:

public water supply for Lower Great Southern towns and the City of Albany
irrigation of public open space and sporting grounds
irrigated commercial horticulture
stock watering and domestic gardens.

All these above uses are licensed, except stock watering and domestic garden use.

Angove Creek supplements groundwater use for public water supply, currently making up about 10 per cent of the total supply to towns of the Lower Great Southern Region. Pumping water from Angove Creek dam is regulated through a water licence.

Limeburner’s Creek was licensed for public drinking water supply up to 1999. It is no longer used as a source of public drinking water.

Groundwater resources identified in the Albany hinterland area have the potential to meet the future demand for drinking water supplies, and fit-for-purpose industry and agricultural uses.