6 Water Authority Next Major Public Water Supply Source for Perth (post 1992) Environmental Review and Management Programme Stage 1: Evaluation of Alternatives Supporting Document Next Major Water Supply Source for Perth Preliminary Assessment of Social/Recreational Impacts ti111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 Feilman Planning Consultants 901 328/4 February 1987 ent of Environmental Protection Library 'ThOrnTY 6 Water Authority of Western Australia WATER RESOURCES DIRECTORATE Water Resources Planning Branch Next Major Public Water Supply Source for Perth (post 1992) Environmental Review and Management Programme Stage 1: Evaluation of Alternatives Supporting Document Next Major Water Supply Source for Perth Preliminary Assessment of Social/Recreational Impacts Published by the Water Authority of Western Australia John Tonkin Water Centre ISBN for complete set of 7 volumes 629 Newcastle Street 0 7309 1724 X Leederville WA 6007 ISBN for this volume 0 7309 1727 4 Telephone: (09) 420 2420 February 1987 This report is published by the Water Authority of Western Australia as a technical supporting document to the Environmental Review and Management Programme, Stage 1 report titled 'Next Major Public Water Supply Source for Perth (post 1992)'. The document published withm these covers isacopy of the Consultant's report to the Water Authority. As such, the Consultant is responsible for the accuracy of the information and statements contained in the report which constitutes specialist technical advice to the Authority. The Water Authority acknowledges the work of the Consultants for the efficient manner in which they undertook their investigations and provided their advice to the Authority. NEXT MAJOR WATER SUPPLY SOURCE FOR PERTH PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT OF SOCIAL/RECREATIONAL IMPACTS Prepared for:- WATER AUTHORITY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA FEILMAN PLANNING CONSULTANTS FEBRUARY, 1987 CONTENTS 1.1 BACKGROUND 1.2 STUDY OBJECTIVE 1.2.1 Specific Objectives 1.3 METHODOLOGY 2.0 EXISTING ENVIRONMENT AND USE 2.1 MUNDARING WEIR/HELENA RESERVOIR/HELENA CATCHMEN1 AND ENVIRONS 2.1.1 Existing Environment 2.1.2 Land Use and Management 2.1.3 Recreation Use 2.2 CANNING DAM/CANNING RESERVOIR/NORTH WESTERN SECTOR - CANNING CATCHMENT 10 2.2.1 Existing Environment 10 2.2.2 Land Use and Management 10 2.2.3 Recreation Use 11 2.3 SOUTH CANNING RIVER/SOUTH CANNING CATCHMENT 13 2.3.1 Existing Environment 13 2.3.2 Land Use and Management 14 2.3.3 Recreation Use 15 2.4 NORTH DANDALUP CATCHMENT 16 2.4.1 Existing Environment 16 2.4.2 Land Use and Management 16 2.4.3 Recreation Use 17 2.5 SUMMARY 17 3.0 REGIONAL DEMAND FOR RECREATION 19 3.1 TRENDS WITHIN SYSTEM 6 19 3.2 FOREST VISITOR SURVEY 1980 20 3.3 OTHER RELEVANT RECREATION STUDIES 23 3.4 SUMMARY 24 4.0 DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSED DEVELOPMENTS AND IMPACTS AND ANALYSIS OF EFFECTS ON THE SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT AND RECREATIONAL USE OF THESE RESOURCES 26 4.1 PROPOSED RAISING OF MUNDARING WEIR - IMPACT ON THE SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT AND RECREATION 26 4.1.1 Project Details 26 4.1.2 Impacts 27 4.1.3 Overview 28 4.2 PROPOSED RAISING OF CANNING DAM - IMPACT ON THE SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT AND RECREATION 30 4.2.1 Project Details 30 4.2.2 Impacts 31 4.2.3 Overview 32 4.3 PROPOSED CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW DAM ON THE SOUTH CANNING RIVER - IMPACT ON THE SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT AND RECREATION 34 4.3.1 Project Details 34 4.3.2 Impacts 36 4.3.3 Overview 40 4.4 PROPOSED CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW DAM ON THE NORTH DANDALUP RIVER - IMPACT ON THE SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT AND RECREATION 42 4.4.1 Project Details 42 4.4.2 Impacts 43 4.4.3 Overview 45 4.5 SOCIAL/RECREATIONAL BENEFITS AND CONFLICTS AND RANKING OF THE PROPOSED OPTIONS 47 4.5.1 Preferred Option 48 4.5.2 Ranking of Remaining Alternative Sources 48 5.0 REVIEW OF PREFERRED OPTION AND RANKING OF ALTERNATIVE SOURCES USING WATER AUTHORITY'S RIVERS AND WETLANDS ASSESSMENT METHOD 50 5.1 PLANNING STUDY OF RIVER REACHES AND WETLANDS OF RECREATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE - PERTH TO BUNBURY REGION 50 5.1.1 Methodology 50 5.1.2 Application of The Method - Helena, Canning, South Canning , North Dandalup Catchments. 52 5.1.3 Summary of 'Rivers and Wetlands' Method Assessment And Relevance To The Study 55 6.0 STUDY CONCLUSIONS 56 7.0 REFERENCES TABLES TABLE 3.2 (a) FORESTS DEPARTMENT ESTIMATE OF RECREATIONAL USE OF STATE FOREST 21 TABLE 3.2(b) AVERAGE NUMBER OF VISITS TO STATE FOREST PER ANNUM BY PERSONS INTERVIEWED .22 TABLE 3.3(a) WAROONA/LOGUE BROOK RESERVOIR - PUBLIC USAGE SURVEY RESULTS EASTER 1985 24 TABLE 4.3.1 CHARACTERISTICS OF EXISTING DARLING RANGE RESERVOIRS 34 TABLE 5.1.2(a) POTENTIAL NUMBER OF SUITABLE RECREATION ACTIVITIES BY SOURCE WITHOUT EXISTING STATUTORY REGULATIONS AND OTHER SPECIAL CHARACTERISTICS CONSIDERED 52 TABLE 5.1.2(b) RANKING OF RIVERS AND WETLANDS PERTH-BUNBURY REGION FOR RECREATION SUITABILITY WITHOUT EXISTING STATUTORY REGULATIONS AND OTHER SPECIAL CHARACTERISTICS CONSIDERED 53 1 1.0 PRELIMINARY 1.1 BACKGROUND Four future hills water supply source alternatives for the Perth Metropolitan Region are currently being reviewed by the Water Authority of Western Australia. It is expected that one of these options will need to be commissioned in the early 1990s if the Authority is to meet urban demand for water without reducing the reliability of supply. The four options (Plan 1 refers) are: The raising of the existing Mundaring Weir The raising of the existing Canning Dam. The construction of a new dam on the South Canning River upstream from Canning Dam. The construction of a new dam on the North Dandalup River upstream from the existing North Dandalup Pipehead Dam. The Authority has undertaken to evaluate the economic, environmental and social/recreational impact of each proposal. 1.2 STUDY OBJECTIVE The primary objective of this Study is to describe the social/recreational environment of the four project areas in sufficient detail to form an input to: A multi-objective analysis of the alternative sources to choose the option which best balances the engineering, technical, economic, social, recre- ational and environmental considerations resulting from the development of the next major source. An Environmental Review and Management Programme documenting the impacts of the development of each source, thereby enabling the selection of the preferred option for development 1.2.1 Specific Objectives Detailed objectives of this Study are:- To describe the existing and potential social/ recreational use of each of the project areas. To assess the losses of social/recreational poten- tial arising from the development of the water sources. To describe the social/recreational opportunities created by the development of each source. To reach conclusions about the relative significance of each development option to social/recreational activity and/or potential. 1.3 METHODOLOGY The conduct of this preliminary Study involved: Collection and review of relevant literature and data. Meetings with Officers of the Water Authority of Western Australia, the Department of Conservation and Land Management (CALM), the Department of Sport and Recreation, and State Planning Commission. Meetings with Officers of the Shires of Mundaring, Kalamunda, Wandering and Murray and the City of Armadale. Liaison with representatives of the Department of Conservation and Environment, Western Australian Tourism Commission, National Trust of Australia (W.A.), Western Australian Heritage Committee. Liaison with representatives of various recreational organisations. Site inspections. Analysis of the potential of each site using recently developed techniques to quantitatively assess recreation potential. 3 ISTING ENVIRONMENT AND USE i considering the four proposed projects the Water ithority of Western Australia's Helena, Canning, South inning and North Dandalup catchment areas were reviewed the primary study areas. The immediate environments )wnstream of the damsites are also discussed (Plan 1 fers) there are only two State Government agencies, the Water Authority of Western Australia and the Department of Conservation and Land Management (CALM) with statutory control over the catchment areas and the environs down- stream of the dams, which are the subject of this study, a brief description of their responsibilities is detailed below: Water Supply Catchments Through the Metropolitan Water Supply, Sewerage and Drainage Act, 1982 and the Country Areas Water Supply Act 1980, the Western Australian Water Authority has drafted by-laws to safeguard the quality of stream water and storages within catchment areas. Current policy forrnu- lated for the regulation of public access on hills catch- ments is categorised as follows (WAWRC, 1984): Class I - Developed Catchment - Small Domestic Diversion Dam. These catchments and reservoirs are generally small, therefore susceptible to pollution. Thus vehicular and pedestrian access is only permit- ted along open roads, marked walk trails and desig- nated picnic areas. Public access to these reservoirs is prohibited. Access to the dam walls is generally also not permitted (e.g. Churchman Brook). Class II - Developed Catchment - large Domestic Dam. General access to the dam walls is permitted. Within two kilometres of these reservoirs, pedes- trian access is permitted along open roads, marked walk trails and at designated picnic areas only. Unrestricted pedestrian access is permitted outside the two kilometre band around the reservoirs. Vehicular access is permitted on public roads, open tracks and designated dam access roads only (e.g. Canning). Class III - Developed Catchment. Irrigation Dam. Pedestrian access to these reservoirs (except, for safety reasons, the area within 250m upstream of the dam wall), the dam walls, and the catchment areas is permitted. Vehicular access is only per- mitted on public roads, open tracks and designated dam access roads (e.g. Waroona). 4 Class IV - Undeveloped Catchment. Selected a. are designated as undeveloped catchments in order to meet future needs. Pedestrian access to these catchments is permitted (e.g.