Four more projects to improve water supplies in rural areas have been given the green light under the State Government's rural water strategy.
Water Resources Minister Ernie Bridge said the rural water strategy gave communities an opportunity to fast track water supply projects by contributing to the cost of the work. This could be through provision of labour, machinery and other equipment or a financial contribution.
"It has been one of our most successful initiatives, allowing whole communities to work together to achieve something which they place high priority on," Mr Bridge said.
"In many cases, the community contribution has been low cost in real terms with local councils and businesses supplying earthmoving and other equipment and residents taking on some of the labour component."
Mr Bridge said the Water Authority would spend $2.2 million on the four latest projects, to commence in 1992-93. They would include:
· construction of a pumping station, pipelines and high level tank for Bridgetown;
· construction of a dam, catchment and rock drains at Mt Hampton, 320 kilometres east of Perth;
· construction of a pumping station, pipeline and tank to extend the Lake Banks water supply in the Great Southern; and -
· improvements to secure the Westonia water supply.
He said community participation in the projects had significantly reduced the overall cost to the Water Authority, allowing them to be fast-tracked.
"The sheer size of Western Australia means Water Authority financial resources are stretched to the limit meeting demand for new or improved supplies, so this initiative has been a real breakthrough for many communities," he said.
Mr Bridge said he introduced the Rural Water Strategy in 1987 to encourage and reward communities prepared to take the initiative and help themselves. Since then, 34 projects costing $17.4 million had been undertaken.
Twenty-nine of these had been completed, with the remaining five, which started last year, on target for completion this financial year. These include new scheme water supplies for Wellstead, Horrocks and Balladonia, dam repairs and connection to the town scheme for Cascades residents, and clay-lining and deepening of the No 1 dam at Ravensthorpe.
Mr Bridge said the Water Authority would also spend $120,000 investigating, developing and implementing a long-term strategy to provide reliable water supplies to water deficient farming areas in a joint project with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Adjustment and Finance Corporation (RAFCOR).
