Nature Conservation Margaret River Region’s Environmental Sundowner Series is back with an evening that tackles the issue on everyone’s lips – water in our drying climate.
Facing the Big Dry will be held on Tuesday, July 30 from 6pm-8pm at Nala Bardip Mia (Margaret River HEART), with three expert speakers looking at climate change and our region’s water future. Tickets are $15 for Nature Conservation members and $25 for non-members including a free drink and canapes, and can be booked HERE.
“While winter rains are falling now, the Margaret River region has just endured its driest 7-month period on record, with huge swathes of vegetation and forest dying off – so this debate has never been timelier,” says Nature Conservation biodiversity officer Cass Jury (pictured above).
An example of dead vegetation and drying streams during Margaret River’s big dry
Pumping water from river pools is just one aspect of the water debate that needs urgent research and a review, warns the region’s peak conservation group, because if summer water sources go dry large numbers of native animals die as a consequence.
“Wooditjup Bilya or the Margaret River continually flowed until 1985. Now, it stops flowing for up to six months,” says Ms Jury. “Meanwhile, the average flow has halved in less than two decades, from 86 gigalitres in 2005 to just 34 gigalitres in 2023. Despite that, we are allowing water to be pumped at rates based on old flow data.
“We desperately need research and a review about how we manage water. Is our environment getting enough? Is our endemic fauna being impacted? Should pumping from the river only be allowed when it is flowing?”
Expert speakers on the night will include Dr Kath Lynch, the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation acting regional manager, who will zero in on ground, surface and ecological monitoring of the Margaret River (Wooditjup Bilya). She’ll also discuss how the department allocates and manages water use.
Kath Lynch taking water samples
Professor Michael Douglas from the School of Agriculture and Environmental Science at University of Western Australia will discuss what the drying climate means for drinking water supplies, the future of our rivers, and the impacts on biodiversity.
If you ever wondered, “Where does my drinking water come?” or “Where does my wastewater go?”, Water Corp’s Matthew Bowman will answer those questions during his talk, as well as how the Water Corporation is future-proofing water resources and using treated wastewater.
Nature Conservation ’s sundowner series organiser Jodie Passmore is urging everyone in the community to come along and learn more about this critical issue from three experts in their field, and have the chance to ask questions about our future in a drying climate.
“Our previous sundowner events have been a huge success but, after this last summer, everyone wants to talk about water,” she says. “This is going to be a really important conversation. We’re excited to bring together a very knowledgeable panel to talk about the issues facing our region, answer our community’s questions and put our heads together for the challenges that lie ahead.”
The evening will conclude with drinks and canapes in the foyer, and the chance to connect, catch up and discuss the issues further.
This event is the latest in Nature Conservation’s series of informal sundowner evenings which kicked off in 2022, bringing expert speakers to our region. The Environmental Sundowner Series is possible thanks to funding from the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River.