Planning and Infrastructure Minister Alannah MacTiernan's response to the standing committee reports on the Gnarabup wastewater treatment plant was tabled on March 2.

The Minister referred to the request from the committee in relation to a petition opposing the plant tabled on October 16, 2002.

Recommendation One was that in line with the wishes of the majority of the local community, the plant be converted into a pumping station and the water pumped back to the Margaret River Treatment Plant for treatment and re-use on the Margaret River golf course and public open space.

This was not accepted in the absence of there being a justified need on environment or health grounds.

"The Water Corporation gave evidence to indicate this option was not financially feasible," Ms MacTiernan said.

"Advice provided to the committee indicated that the associated costs, as of October 2000, would be in the order of $3 million dollars, while further advice dated February 17, 2003 put the preliminary estimate at $4 million.

"Consistent with the earlier advice given to the committee, there is no obligation to relocate the Gnarabup Wastewater Treatment Plant as it has a valid operating licence and since completion of the Stage II upgrade, there is no evidence it has failed to meet environmental conditions or health standards."

Recommendation Two was that the Department for Planning and Infrastructure be required to contribute to the cost of solving the problems create by the construction of the treatment plant, including a contribution towards the cost of converting the plant into a pumping station.

In response, the State Government said there was no basis on which to require the DPI to incur costs associated with the siting of the Gnarabup plant for the reasons given in the response to the first recommendation.

"The Gallop Government has significantly improved the planning requirements for similar subdivision proposals along the State's coastline through its Statement of Planning Policy No 2.6-State Coastal Planning Policy," Ms MacTiernan said.

"Environmental problems reported in 1999 have been overcome with the approved wastewater treatment plant upgrade.

"However, concern over the visual impact of the Gnarabup plant by some sections of the community is acknowledged."

She said the proximity to, and elevation of, the Boodjidup Beach access road in relation to the plant and lack of screening vegetation were significant factors contributing to the visual impact.

However the Water Corporation was prepared to consider suitable screening options such as netting, she said.

Recommendation Three was that the State Government review its environmental and town planning legislation "with a view to giving greater legislative clarity to procedures required for the assessment of public works in a manner that more effectively integrates the State's environmental and town planning legislation in keeping with other related government initiatives".

The government response was that all future development proposals for such facilities will require compliance with statutory planning assessment requirements, as set out in local government town planning schemes.

Recommendation Four was that results of water quality testing in the plant's vicinity be provided to the Augusta-Margaret River Shire for public information.

In response, it was noted the Water Corporation already shared monitoring information with the shire and agreed to formalise the arrangement.

Recommendation Five was that the water quality testing take into account the topography of the area, in particular the nature of the limestone.

The Water Corporation responded it does take such account, and undertook additional monitoring beyond its licence in the summer of 2002/03 to assess groundwater quality at the base of the primary dunes in Gas Bay.

"Should future monitoring indicate elevated contaminant levels, the licence may need to be amended to require improvement works and/or ongoing monitoring," Ms MacTiernan said.

Committee chairperson, South West MLC Dr Christine Sharp, said the State Government, Water Corporation and Coastcare needed to contribute money to fix the "absolute botch-up that the Gnarabup development has been."

"The Environment Minister Dr Judy Edwards supported all the recommendations of the committee (last year), and supported the need to transfer facilities to Margaret River, and to then pipe it back for re-use at the golf course," she said.

"However, the Minister for Water and Resources Kim Hames took the approach that the treatment plant was, since its upgrading, now operating efficiently and safely, and there was no justification for the expense.

"It seems to me that the Minister (MacTiernan) is really trying to save dollars, because it has now been acknowledged the approval process was faulty and the treatment plant should not have been constructed at that location.

"Moreover the committee's recommendation was endorsed by the Minister for the Environment.

"Therefore, I strongly urge the government have a whole of government approach on this and work out what to do with the operation of treatment plant."

Dr Sharp said the solution should involve taking up wastewater problems at Prevelly.

"My intention is to come over and meet with community representatives to consult with Margaret River people as to what the consensus is as a long-term solution, and to assist the community to lobby government's progress," she said.

Dr Sharp has had preliminary discussions with shire statutory planning and development director Sandra Boulter on the topic.

Shire president Nick Dornan said the government's comments were well and good, "but we do have the future expectations and growth to consider".

"I would have been far happier if there had been the recommendation that all options should be explored by the various agencies to address the problems that will inevitably arise if nothing is done about the current water treatment plant," he said.

The shire council would certainly pursue the issue of water re-use at the golf club.

"If that can be achieved, and it can be that a subsidy is made to the course by the government, it will relieve a lot of issues in the short term as far as the treatment plant is concerned," he said.

Prevelly Wilderness Progress Association president Neale Carpenter was unimpressed by Ms MacTiernan's comments.

"The DPI response is very shallow and short-sighted," he said.

"Despite all the recommendations made in this parliamentary inquiry, they are content to wipe their hands of the thing.

"The attitude appears to be: okay, we picked up a dud sewage plant, but we got it for nothing and we have no intention of spending money on it now.

"The problem with this attitude shows up in their response to Recommendation One.

"That is, in 2000 the cost of piping the sewage back to town was $3 million (at Water Corporation prices).

"By 2003 the cost is up to $4 million.

"What will it be in 10 or 20 years' time when the inevitable occurs and Prevelly Park is brought onto sewage and the system can't cope?

"The minister is content to burden some future, presumably responsible government with the inflated cost of her department's stuff-up.

"The response: 'plant trees around it so it will go away, and the problem is not the sewage plant, it is the road to it' would be laughable if it was not in black and white.

"The sewage plant's capacity has always been the cork in the bottle as far as the size of the Gnarabup subdivision is concerned.

"When originally constructed the estimated occupancy rates for houses at Gnarabup was approximately 2.1 people per dwelling and tourism opportunities were limited.

"Clearly the actual population numbers will have to be re-assessed to ensure the future development will be within the capacity of the wastewater treatment plant."