WATER supply is a crucial part of any bushfire plan because the Water Corporation cannot guarantee how long scheme water will last in a fire incident.
That is the advice of Water Minister Mia Davies who is calling on residents in bushfire-prone areas to have an independent water supply and pump, if they plan to stay and defend their homes.
Ms Davies said though Water Corporation and other providers would do everything possible to maintain scheme water in a bushfire, they must not be relied in a fire situation.
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READ NOW“This infrastructure, like anything in or near the path of a bushfire, is not immune to damage,” she said.
The Department of Water advice for residents with groundwater bores, or access to surface water on their property in at-risk bushfire areas, is to store water to support their bushfire plans.
Ms Davies said in the case of licensed water users, the water did not count as part of an annual entitlement and was for emergency fire situation use only.
“We recommend a record is kept of the amount of water taken to support your fire plan,” she said.
Ms Davies said rural landholders needed to be aware Department of Fire and Emergency Services and the Department of Parks and Wildlife could access bores and dams in a bushfire for firefighting needs.
“We encourage landholders to ensure whoever is fighting the fire has access to draw points when needed,” she said.
For bushfire alerts, visit www.emergency.wa.gov.au and to check water supply interruptions, visit www.watercorporation.com.au/faults/check-for-water-outages.