Gelorup residents are considering legal action against Main Roads for “robbing” them of their water

Several Gelorup residents are considering legal action against Main Roads for “robbing” them of water and leaving them at a severe bushfire risk.

Since December last year, the shire of Capel said multiple residents in the suburb of Gelorup were experiencing issues with their water bores, with the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER) stating the issues are likely linked to reduced rainfall from climate change.

However, many Gelorup residents who have been experiencing issues with their groundwater bores suspect the construction of Bunbury Outer Ring Road (BORR) directly through their community may be impacting them.

Main Road’s construction of the BORR has been largely controversial within the community, splitting Gelorup in more ways that one, but residents are now demanding answers from DWER and Main Roads regarding their groundwater issues.

Former Shire of Capel president, Michael Southwell said he and at least 40 other residents have been experiencing water bore issues in the past months.

“I’ve been here 8 years, many have lived here longer, and nobody has ever reported problems like this in the past,” Mr Southwell said.

“This is a crisis for this community”

Mr Southwell said the communities lifestyle has been taken from them, and if they aren’t helped they will have to turn to the courts.

Shire of Capel councillor, Terri Sharp said she was approached by many concerned residents having issues with their groundwater.

“In Gelorup we have no access to mains water, so every bit of water we collect comes from the sky or the ground,” she said.

Councillor Rosina Mogg said the situation is atrocious.

“Water is for life, it’s a necessity,” she said.

Main Roads have permission from DWER to take 333,000KL of groundwater per year from their bores across the projects alignment to use as dust suppression.

Gelorup residents agree there is a need for dust suppression, however, watching groundwater they are struggling to access poured onto dirt and evaporating in the sun has many “furious” Mr Southwell said.

“We are demanding the nearby bores are shut-off,” he said.

“They have other bores north of us, they should be getting them from there, because there is no one there who needs groundwater like we do.”

A 2021 report from the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) outlining the southern section of the ring road states, “short-term abstraction of groundwater for construction could affect groundwater levels in the superficial aquifer.”

A Main Roads spokesperson said investigations into the bore issues conducted by DWER have found no connection between the projects use and the issues experienced by residents.

The EPA report also proposed Main Roads investigate “alternate sources of water to reduce the reliance on groundwater for construction and dust suppression purposes.

A Main Roads spokesperson said other water sources were investigated for construction purposes as per the EPA’s report, and no other sources were able to be used.

“The project will continue to work closely with emergency services, DWER and the Shire of Capel to provide support where needed.,” the spokesperson said.