Water Resources Minister Ernie Bridge has accepted a recommendation for an independent study to be carried out into alternative methods of recharge enhancement of the Gascoyne River aquifers.
Mr Bridge said the State Government, through the Water Authority, would pay half the cost of the study. The exact amount was still being finalised.
He understood the Federal Government, through its Carnarvon labour market committee, would match the State contribution to ensure the study could proceed.
The move for an independent study was a key recommendation of the Carnarvon water resource reference committee, set up by Mr Bridge to examine current and future water needs and supplies in the region.
Mr Bridge said the study would provide a strategic plan for development of the local water resource, providing a clear picture of all available options.
The consultant would be asked to prepare a five-year development plan, including a detailed assessment of the benefits to industry which would result from increased water supply, and the economic growth opportunities for the Carnarvon community.
Mr Bridge said the region had enormous growth potential if reliable water supplies could be guaranteed, and the study would be crucial to determining Carnarvon's future directions.
