Friends of Nanarup line lagoon to protest Water Corporation plan to build a desalination plant near the beach

About 150 people turned out to support the Friends of Nanarup campaign against the proposal to build a desalination plant near the beach. The Water Corporation announced Nanarup as its choice to host a “small scale” plant aimed at meeting Albany’s growing demand for water. However, residents and beach users have been protesting against the decision and expect their petition calling for an alternative venue to be presented in Parliament next week by Albany MLA Scott Leary. The turnout for the gathering last Saturday delighted Friends of Nanarup spokesperson Melanie Michael who said the cause had hit home with residents and visitors. “I was really pleased, so chuffed that so many people came out and stood together,” she said. She called on the Water Corporation to provide more transparency around its decision to firm up Nanarup as the location and provide evidence to prove it was the only feasible choice. Before Nanarup was picked, Sandpatch had been the other location in the running, but it was discounted primarily for technical reasons. Ms Michael said her group’s questions were being avoided by Water Corporation and said Water Minister Don Punch’s speech when he announced the decision was just “words on paper”. “There has been a huge focus on the visual aspect of the amenity but nothing around the process,” Ms Michael said. “They keep on saying it will be far back and not visible, but we are concerned that it will only get bigger and once it is there, there will be no reset button.” Mr Punch announced the Water Corporation decision on February 3 saying the Government was securing the Great Southern’s water future. “This will be a small facility but the positive effect on Albany and the Great Southern’s opportunities, environment, investment and living standards will be immense over coming decades,” he said. Ms Michael said Friends of Nanarup would continue chasing transparency. “We want genuine engagement, we want our questions heard and we want them to prove what (the City of Albany) called for, which was to do no harm,” she said.