Water Minister Don Punch confirms Nanarup for desal site as mayor tells Government it ‘must do no harm’

City of Albany mayor Greg Stocks challenged the Water Corporation to “do no harm” as Nanarup was formally announced as the location for Albany’s desalination plant on Tuesday. Water Minister Don Punch confirmed Nanarup as the chosen site during a press conference at the Water Corporation offices on Stirling Terrace. Mr Punch sought to soothe environmental concerns but said Albany needed the plant because the current groundwater sources would not be sufficient to supply the city by 2030. Mr Stocks said he accepted the case for desalination but added the council would be keeping a close watch. “The council has had a long-held view that water security is of great importance to Albany,” he said. “By 2030 we will be at the limit of our water supply, and the Water Corporation says desalination is the solution. “We accept the expert advice that Nanarup is the best location, but we will hold the Government and Water Corporation to account and challenge them to do no harm.” Mr Punch said every effort would be made to minimise the “small-scale” plant’s environmental impact and its effect on residents. There would be no loss of amenity in terms of the beach, he emphasised. “Albany is a beautiful area with beautiful bays,” he said. “We are looking at a small-scale but critical piece of infrastructure to make sure Albany has a secure water source for the future. “We are looking at engineering and technology but also at minimising the impact on Albany. “Albany has an exciting future, and this is a great opportunity to address some of the infrastructure bottlenecks so that people who want to build a life here can be sure water is not a constraint in a climate-change environment.” A public meeting at Lower Kalgan Hall on Monday night had raised concerns around the noise and light pollution the plant might cause, as well as questioning the Water Corporation’s claim it had investigated other locations. Mr Punch said using Sandpatch, which had been the other location under consideration, had been thoroughly explored but dismissed because of the difficulty of drilling through rock and the danger of its rough seas during construction and maintenance. He promised to engage with the Nanarup community and add residents to the consultancy group which has been meeting on the issue for the past year. He said the plant would not be visible except from its main gate, the main building would be a kilometre back from the beach and the pump station would be 200m from the beach, behind the dunes. Disturbance from noise and light would be minimised, Mr Punch said. The Water Corporation’s first job, he said, would be to plant trees around the proposed site to lessen its visibility even more. The next phase would be a detailed design and approvals stage lasting one to two years, at which point the Government would consider the final business case for the plant. Albany MLA Scott Leary attended the public meeting on Monday and said he would relay the participants’ concerns to Mr Punch “in no uncertain terms” when they met on Tuesday morning. “Transparency is really important, and everybody needs that going forward,” he told the public meeting. “If after more detailed research the site is found to be not suitable, the risk is the project is delayed, and we won’t have a suitable water supply going forward.” Friends of Nanarup member Dave Marshall accused the Water Corporation of a lack of direct consultation with the people likely to be most affected by the plant. “The way we have been informed of this, and the lack of direct engagement has been really frustrating and challenging,” he said. “I feel worked.” Mr Punch said he lived near the Binningup desalination plant and there had initially been major community concerns around its construction. However, “now you wouldn’t know it was there,” he said.