WATER QUALITY —
COORINJINNA POOL — PILBARA
1044. Hon ROBIN CHAPPLE to the Minister for Environment:
I refer to question without notice
873 asked in the Legislative Council on 20 August 2019 and the article to which
it refers.
(1) What does the
Department of Water and Environmental Regulation recommend as the maximum concentration
of trace metals in livestock drinking water?
(2) What action
does the department recommend for both irrigation water and potable water in
the event of a polluted water source in remote regions?
(3) Does the
department offer any monetary or logistic assistance to individuals for cases
in which industrial contamination poses risks to quality of life and/or
economic viability?
(4) Given the
recent and ongoing problems faced by farmers, what is the department's
stance on the pollution of entire river systems by industry proponents?
Hon
STEPHEN DAWSON replied:
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question.
(1) The Department of Water and Environmental
Regulation refers to the maximum concentrations for trace metals in
livestock drinking water that are set out in the national guidelines for
primary industries, published in volume 3 of the ''Australian and New
Zealand Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Water Quality'' published in
2000.
(2)–(4) In
response to the pollution of water, the department would liaise with other
government agencies and impacted stakeholders, and take action in accordance
with its statutory obligations and based on the facts and circumstances of each
case.