Cockburn on the burn
The WA government's plans to build two new island ports in Cockburn would simply be disastrous for the environmental health of the area, a leading environmental expert has told 3rd Degree.
The 2006 Cockburn Sound Report, produced by the Cockburn Sound Management Council last month showed many aspects of wetlands in the City of Cockburn overall health have already deteriorated.
Murdoch Professor of physics and energy studies Phil Jennings who helped research and produce the Cockburn Sound Report, commissioned by the WA government said, “There are enough industries in Kwinana that already have leakages from their plants and there are a whole lot of chemicals and pesticides in the ground to contaminate the beaches and water in the area.”
What effect do you think the leakage will have on the beaches and the shores?
“The effect of course will be loss of wild life, fisheries in the area, and building of bacteria and algae would make swimming and using the beaches for recreation by the public difficult and impossible.”
Recently University of WA oceanographer Professor Patriartchi said that the area has reached the saturation stage and can not take any more?
“Yes I agree with Dr. Patriartchi, the government has already approved one private port to be build in Kwinana and they plan to build another port there as an extension of the existing Fremantle port which would reach full capacity by the end of this decade.
“The desalination plant is already finished and the government has spent 200 million dollars on the project so that is going to add to water salinity, a private port is approved and simply building another port is just not possible.
“Too many industries will affect the flushing of the sound system along the foreshore and the beaches in Cockburn. When they build the harbors for a new port they need to crunch the ground and that will pump the underground water up which eventually causes pollution and affects the habitat or the environment in the area including the health of its sound system,” professor Jennings said.
" The pollution also comes from the industry through waste and seepage of chemicals which causes the algae to grow along the beaches and as result makes the foreshore unsafe for fishing and public use.
“Building the ports will even affect the quality of the water that the new desalination plant pumps for dinking,” he said
What is the solution in your opinion?
“The only thing the state government can do in this stage is to build the proposed port on another sight such as near Jeralden or another city. We have recommended that and hope the state government will take that into consideration. It may be possible to build the private port because the Minister has already approved it but to build an extension for the existing Fremantle port as well is simply impossible.”
He said any solution for the crisis should include coordination between the partied involved including the industry because that means jobs being lost in the community, the Cockburn council and the state government.
“The government also needs to increase the funds for scientific research to come out with better management for future plans as for the time being there is not enough fund to carry on research.” He concludes
WA Planning and Infrastructure Minister Alanah MactTiernan was recently quoted by the West Australian saying that plans to build an island port 1km offshore in Cockburn sound are not a fait accompli and it was possible that environmental studies could rule our the port if they showed its impact would destroy the sensitive marine environment.
Cockburn City Council Communications Manager Nick Evans said, “While the City of Cockburn is concerned about the state of the Sound in light of recent media reports, we do not have the expertise to assess the various claims. We do support stringent environmental assessment of development on a case by case basis.”
Mr. Evans said the City of Cockburn is not responsible for the management of the Cockburn Sound - that is the responsibility of the state and federal governments. Our responsibility stops at the foreshore. As for Kwinana and Rockingham they are not under our jurisdiction because they are not part of the city of Cockburn,” he said.
Cockburn is one of the major coastal cities found in the state of Western Australia. Situated just 22 km south of Perth, the state’s capital city and 8km south of Fremantle. The city boasts some of Western Australia’s best inland lakes, major tourism attractions and leisure activities and shipbuilding industries.
