Problems plague favoured tip sites

The preferred sites for a regional resource recovery park to replace Broome tip have been reshuffled because Main Roads now has environmental approval to seal the rest of Cape Leveque Road.

But the two options topping the list are riddled with potential problems.

The Shire of Broome is racing to find alternatives to the Buckley’s Road waste management facility, which is rapidly approaching the end of its operational life.

If no suitable replacement was found, ratepayers would need to pay about $7 million a year to transport waste to Port Hedland.

This equates to an increase in tipping fees of about 400 per cent and kerbside collection charges of about 210 per cent.

In a report to councillors, Shire director of infrastructure Michael Dale said the financial consequences of the RRRP not being operational before closure of the current site would be “catastrophic”.

“The likelihood of the RRRP not being operational is determined as unlikely, which still results in an overall risk rating of extreme,” he said.

“The progressing of site investigations will reduce the risk to the Shire.”

The council has now turned its attention to a parcel of land known as A1 off Cape Leveque Road, about 20km from Broome.

But if chosen, it would pose significant risks.

The site is subject to two native title determinations from claimants the Jabirr Jabirr and Goolarabooloo.

The council would need to resolve access issues if the claim was determined prior to the completion of site investigations, similar to those currently under way with the Yawuru for the second favoured option on the Roebuck Plains Pastoral Station.

Main Roads still does not have government funding to bitumenise the unsealed section of Cape Leveque Road and construction remains open-ended.