Locals invited to join discussion about Peel-Harvey Estuary

The Peel-Harvey Catchment Council and the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation are inviting Peel residents and local farmers to find out about the health of the Peel-Harvey Estuary.

The forum will be held on Wednesday, December 15, as part of the Healthy Estuaries WA program and the State Government’s $6 million investment to protect and manage the Peel-Harvey Estuary

The meeting will discuss the work undertaken to improve the health of the estuary and will include presentations covering the latest water quality data for the estuary and the work to improve the quality of water entering waterways.

DWER aquatic science branch manager, Malcolm Robb, said the Peel-Harvey was the largest estuary in the South West and underpinned many of the recreational and economic values that Mandurah was known for.

“When people think of Mandurah, they think of crabbing, dolphins, fishing and tourism, all of these aspects rely on good water quality,” Mr Robb said.

“We’ll be presenting the latest water-quality data at the forum, as well as some of the other tools we use to understand how the estuary functions, like our computational model.

“With the release of the Peel-Harvey Estuary Protection Plan in December 2020, the forum is a chance for the community to find out where we are at right now, find out some of the problem areas of the estuary and find out what’s going to happen next.”

Peel-Harvey Catchment Council chair Caroline Knight said the forum would be a positive way for the community to get involved in the program.

“The forum is a great opportunity for our community to learn about the work that DWER, Peel-Harvey Catchment Council and others are doing to protect the region’s most valuable asset, and how they can get involved through the Healthy Estuaries WA program and other community-led activities,” Ms Knight said.

To find out more about the forum or to RSVP visit peel-harvey.org.au/events/peel-harvey-estuary-forum/