Greed over logic

THE creation of a marina at Point Grey, if it is ever built, will be a giant confidence trick on the boating public.

The official charted low water depth of the Peel Harvey Estuary is only 1.4 metres throughout. Any open developer would surely need clearly to advise potential property buyers of this and the implications for the large sea-going vessels that they would no doubt primarily aim to attract.

Such vessels may be able to traverse from the ocean via an expensive and environmentally damaging channel and then ‘park’ in such a marina, but most would not be able to go anywhere else within the estuary without danger of grounding and damage to the fragile water bed.

This area of inland water is probably the most valuable and biodiverse areas of natural environment remaining in WA, with a worldwide reputation in terms of rare birdlife.

The micro-organisms that have thrived in the bed of this estuary comprise the basic food chain that sustains them.

Since the Dawesville Cut was opened in 1994, successive State and Federal governments have absolutely failed to ensure the management of it for the future.

This is just one more example of shortsighted financial greed over logic ” and the declining environmental legacy we will leave for our children in WA.

The next sensible and logical action to protect the high-value biodiversity of this estuary has to be an overall ban on all watercraft entering this estuary with an overall draft exceeding one metre waterline to keel or skeg.

It was proposed and seriously considered in the last recent Boating Use review by Transport ” but then just too much for them to assess and ‘sell’ in time for the review that had urgently to go into print for last summer.

PETER H. FORREST,

Mandurah