Landcorp development in line of fire

Plumes of red pindan washed off LandCorp’s Broome North development, flowing into Dampier Creek could be fuelling algal blooms in Roebuck Bay according to environmentalists.

Environs Kimberley director Martin Pritchard blamed hurried development and over-clearing of vegetation near the Blue Haze industrial area for the large amount of soil washed into the creek.

He said if the development had been started in the dry season rather than at the beginning of the wet season, the erosion of topsoil during this year’s heavy rains could have been avoided.

During a recent inspection of Broome North’s drainage system, Environs Kimberley found several of the estate’s stormwater drains had failed completely.

“We think the development should have been begun in the dry season and all the drains should have been properly bedded in place,” Mr Pritchard said.

“In the development itself we could see a massive amount of runoff which came from areas which had been cleared.

“We were promised that significant areas of vegetation (in Broome North) would be maintained but that promise has been broken.”

LandCorp’s Kimberley regional manager Hilary Woodley said higher than average rainfall this year had caused delays to construction at Broome North including completion of the drainage system.

“The record rainfall levels damaged parts of the drainage system mainly because the vegetation planted to stabilise the soils and prevent damage did not have time to take hold before a significant rain event,” she said.

She said LandCorp was working to repair the damaged drains and once vegetation planted in the area takes hold the system would mitigate this kind of run-off.

During environmental studies before the Broome North development, LandCorp found other private development in the area contributed regular soil run-off into Dampier Creek.

Ms Woodley said LandCorp was upgrading the Gubinge Road detention basin including revegetation, returning the area to its natural state and ensuring tidal water and groundwater aren’t able to enter the basin.

Run-off from the Broome townsite has been attributed to increased blooms of toxic algae over the past decade.

Fertiliser, sewage and the Kimberley’s iron-rich pindan soils increase the nutrient content of the Bay’s water fuelling blooms of the algae.