Sediment removal in the Lower Vasse River

Overview

The City of Busselton propose to remove a layer of nutrient-rich, fine organic sediments which have accumulated throughout the lower reach of the Vasse River. The proposal is located within the City of Busselton and extends for 2.5 km from the Butter Factory Museum to the Busselton Bypass.

Sediment removal will be staged and undertaken via a mobile micro-dredge, or similar unit. The dredged sediment will be pumped to a designated onshore laydown area(s), allowed to dewater with the return water to re-enter the river.

The laydown area is 62 ha within a total development envelope of 16.1 ha.  Up to 40 000 m³ of sediment is proposed to be removed. There will be no clearing of native vegetation. The overall objective of the proposal is to improve the water quality of the Vasse-Wonnerup Wetland System.

Why your views matter

At this initial stage of the EIA process, comment is simply sought on whether or not the EPA should assess a proposal and, if so, what level of assessment is considered appropriate.

What happens next

Following the seven day public comment period and consideration of any comments received, the EPA will decide whether or not this proposal requires environmental impact assessment and, if so, what level of assessment will be applied.

The EPA's decisions on level of assessment are released each Monday on the EPA's website.