Lake Kepwari
Encyclopedia
Lake Kepwari is a man-made lake in the south-west of Western Australia
, about ten kilometres south-east of Collie
. "Kepwari" is a Noongar
word meaning "playing in water".
The lake is a former open-cut coal mine formerly known as Western Five, part of a mining lease operated by Wesfarmers Premier Coal
from 1970 until 1996. It is two kilometres long, one kilometre wide and up to 70 metres deep. It covers 103 hectares and holds about 30 gigalitres of water.
Since 2003, rehabilitation work on the site has been undertaken to develop it as a community aquatic recreation facility. It has taken about five years to fill with water from Collie River South. In 2008, the state government
allocated $3.29 million for the recreational development of the site.
Its opening has been delayed, however, due to public safety concerns about the low pH levels (pH 4.5) in the water. The acidity is believed to be due to ground water leakage at its deeper points. The ground water contains high levels of iron which oxidises and causes acidity levels to rise.
In 2009, the government called for submissions for an Environmental Impact Assessment relating to the effects of reconnecting Collie River South to the lake, which is intended to create a flushing effect. The river is upstream from Wellington Dam and was diverted around the southern edge of the site throughout the mining operations.
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, about ten kilometres south-east of Collie
Collie, Western Australia
-External links:*...
. "Kepwari" is a Noongar
Noongar
The Noongar are an indigenous Australian people who live in the south-west corner of Western Australia from Geraldton on the west coast to Esperance on the south coast...
word meaning "playing in water".
The lake is a former open-cut coal mine formerly known as Western Five, part of a mining lease operated by Wesfarmers Premier Coal
Wesfarmers
Wesfarmers Limited is one of Australia’s largest public companies and one of Australia's largest retailers. Its headquarters are in Perth, Western Australia....
from 1970 until 1996. It is two kilometres long, one kilometre wide and up to 70 metres deep. It covers 103 hectares and holds about 30 gigalitres of water.
Since 2003, rehabilitation work on the site has been undertaken to develop it as a community aquatic recreation facility. It has taken about five years to fill with water from Collie River South. In 2008, the state government
Government of Western Australia
The formation of the Government of Western Australia is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1890, although it has been amended many times since then...
allocated $3.29 million for the recreational development of the site.
Its opening has been delayed, however, due to public safety concerns about the low pH levels (pH 4.5) in the water. The acidity is believed to be due to ground water leakage at its deeper points. The ground water contains high levels of iron which oxidises and causes acidity levels to rise.
In 2009, the government called for submissions for an Environmental Impact Assessment relating to the effects of reconnecting Collie River South to the lake, which is intended to create a flushing effect. The river is upstream from Wellington Dam and was diverted around the southern edge of the site throughout the mining operations.