Garden Bore Roster Change
Bore roster reduction risky for rural landowners in Banjup, Jandakot, and Treeby
GOOD NEWS
Although the state government mandated in June 2022 that garden bores must only be used 2 times each week, the Minister for Water has allowed exemptions for those properties in Bush Fire Prone Areas and with no access to scheme water. This includes all of rural Banjup, Jandakot, and Treeby.
Administration of the exemptions is being developed by the Department of Water. It is likely that each property owner will have to make an individual application.
BRG Campaign for Exemptions
The Department of Water is calling for submissions on the proposed change in the domestic bore roster from 3 to 2 days a week. The Banjup Residents Group will be making a submission on behalf of the 250 members in rural Banjup, Jandakot, and Treeby.
The Banjup Residents Group takes no position on the proposal to reduce the bore watering days for urban users. However, we do oppose the reduction for rural landowners in bush fire prone areas that are not connected to scheme water, as none of us is in rural Banjup, Jandakot, and Treeby.
DFES recommends a 20 metre “Asset Protection Zone” around every home in a Bush Fire Prone Area.
The first 10 metres of an APZ should be cleared of combustible material. Typically, the ground is covered in green grass to extinguish embers from approaching bush fire. Dry materials such as mulch and low native plants easily catch fire and bring a bush fire right up to a house.
Fire retardant bushes and trees are recommended in the second 10 metres of an APZ. Typically, these are deciduous, such as fruit and ornamental trees. Native trees and shrubs just provide fuel for an approaching bush fire.
Grass and other fire retardant vegetation require regular watering during the hot summer months. Watering from a bore on 3 days each week is barely sufficient to keep grass and vegetation alive and the APZ effective. Reducing the watering by one third would kill the APZ vegetation and bring dry fuel right up to our homes.
Our rural area has experienced devastating bush fires in 2014 and 2003 and our community is very aware of the horrors of such fires. Fire safety is our top priority. The DWER proposal to reduce our watering by one third significantly heightens the risks to our lives and properties and we strongly oppose it.
We have submitted to DWER that if the roster reduction is introduced, then rural areas such as ours not connected to scheme water be exempted and that we continue with our 3 day a week roster. Press the button to see our submission.
Residents make your own submissions, too
It is the way of governments that they like to cite the absolute numbers of submissions that they receive, both for and against. It will be in all our interests if we can each make our own submission, so swelling the absolute number of those opposed.
Governments, though, are canny to this and they consider “form submissions”, no matter how many, as one submission. To counter this, each of our submissions should be somewhat different to all of the others.
Your Committee asks that each of you spends a little time on this important matter to prepare your own submission. At the button below you can download is a list of “talking points” that you can draw from. Include as many as you like and edit them to suit your own style. Add more if you wish. You can find more at the bore watering day petition https://www.change.org/p/don-t-lose-a-bore-watering-day/c.
Try to avoid your submission being branded as just another “form submission”.
You can find the WA Government’s bore roster proposal at https://consult.dwer.wa.gov.au/water-policy/domestic-bore-roster/ . You can either complete the survey on the web page by copying and pasting your submission into the box marked 7 on the second page. Alternatively, you can submit your submission by email to gardenboreroster@dwer.wa.gov.au
Please make your own submission by Monday, 28 February. By email to secretary.banjup@gmail.com can you let us know if you have made a submission?
Thank you for your efforts.