Emergency dam to aid farmers

With summer fast approaching, farmers in the Shire of Jerramungup, near Jacup (WA), will be able to rely on an important new dam to provide emergency water for feeding their stock during dry seasons.

Water Minister Mia Davies said the new water source would also supplement existing supplies already used in times of emergency to help protect one of the most botanically diverse regions in the world from fire.

The State Government’s Community Water Supply Program (CWSP) provided almost $65,000 to build a 10 megalitre dam at Jacup, about 31 kilometres east of Jerramungup, in the State’s Great Southern region.

“The shire added almost $22,000 towards the successful completion of this project which will give about 55 local farmers easier access to non-potable emergency water supplies,” Ms Davies said.

“The new dam uses a nearby power source to pump water into a storage tank that can be more readily accessed by farmers and reduce the distance they have to cart water for livestock.”

The Minister said past surveys showed that 80 per cent of Jacup farmers had carted water for their livestock.

She said the firefighting capability of the local community to respond to emergencies from Lake Magenta Nature Reserve, across the South Coast Highway and into the Fitzgerald River National Park, would greatly improve with the new water and storage tanks.

“The new dam and tanks are a good example of how the Department of Water’s rural water planning program works with local governments and dryland communities to improve their ability to manage the water challenges caused by years of low rainfall,” the Minister said. “There are a range of these projects occurring across dryland areas.”

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