Vasse residents affected by groundwater contamination are facing hefty costs to connect to the main water supply after being told they can no longer use their groundwater.
Investigations by the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation found groundwater contamination beneath the Busselton Waste Facility affected 18 nearby properties.
A resident, who did not want to be named, said they received a quote of $14,000 to connect to the main water supply after they were advised by the City of Busselton to sort the issue out.
“They are relying on the general public to sort out the issue for them,” the person said.
The resident said they used 86,000 litres of bore water each time they irrigated their property up to three to four times a week.
Once they were connected to the mains they would be forced to use drinking water to irrigate their land and would be restricted to watering up to two times a week.
“That is a lot of drinking water, I am not happy about that solution, which would also include an extra cost,” the resident said.
City of Busselton director of engineering and works services Oliver Darby said once investigations have been completed the liability would be determined and various options for providing long term solutions. They expect to completed by the second quarter of 2019.
Mr Darby said as an interim measure the city had worked with affected landowners and residents in order to provide as much assistance as possible to mitigate the impacts of these restrictions.
“These short term measures are provided on an ex gratia basis, without prejudice of the city’s rights and regardless of any potential liability issues,” he said.
Department of Water and Environmental Regulation director science and planning Kerry Laszig said it was not possible to comment on whether some of the contaminants were present above public health criteria prior to 2016.
Ms Laszig said following a review of historical groundwater monitoring results in 2015, DWER requested further groundwater investigation which included a broader suite of contaminants.
She said as a result, testing in July 2016 identified contaminants in the groundwater that had not previously been detected.
Under the Environmental Protection Act 1986, the minimum monitoring requirements for less common contaminants such as chlorinated hydrocarbons were not specified in the licence.
“Specific contaminants such as vinyl chloride take time to form and leach within a landfill body. Therefore the levels of vinyl chloride in leachate and groundwater will vary over time,” she said.
