Western Australia’s WA Forest Alliance has asked to the WA Environment Protection Authority to review Alcoa’s plans to mine Jarrah Forests, which state government agencies fear will endanger Perth’s water supply reports Brisbane Times.Forest Alliance convenor Ms Jess Beckerling said the risks from Alcoa’s mining warranted a full and transparent assessment of its cumulative impact. This is obviously a matter of major public concern and the expectation must be that current best-practice WA government policy and aspirations are applied and maintained, and that the safety of drinking water and the integrity of ecological function is protected, she warnsThe move brings into the open a battle between Alcoa’s need to keep its three alumina refineries supplied with 28M metric ton of bauxite a year, and growing concerns about the northern jarrah forest ecosystem that the United Nation in 2022 rated as in danger of collapse due to hotter, drier conditions and greater fire risk.Contamination of the dam that supplied 18%of Perth’s water in 2022 could require construction of a water treatment facility costing up to A$ 2.6B.Alcoa operates under a state agreement signed in 1961 that granted it a vast 700,000-hectare lease stretching along jarrah forests from Perth to Collie.
Western Australia’s WA Forest Alliance has asked to the WA Environment Protection Authority to review Alcoa’s plans to mine Jarrah Forests, which state government agencies fear will endanger Perth’s water supply reports Brisbane Times.Forest Alliance convenor Ms Jess Beckerling said the risks from Alcoa’s mining warranted a full and transparent assessment of its cumulative impact. This is obviously a matter of major public concern and the expectation must be that current best-practice WA government policy and aspirations are applied and maintained, and that the safety of drinking water and the integrity of ecological function is protected, she warnsThe move brings into the open a battle between Alcoa’s need to keep its three alumina refineries supplied with 28M metric ton of bauxite a year, and growing concerns about the northern jarrah forest ecosystem that the United Nation in 2022 rated as in danger of collapse due to hotter, drier conditions and greater fire risk.Contamination of the dam that supplied 18%of Perth’s water in 2022 could require construction of a water treatment facility costing up to A$ 2.6B.Alcoa operates under a state agreement signed in 1961 that granted it a vast 700,000-hectare lease stretching along jarrah forests from Perth to Collie.
