Perth Voice Interactive

MAYLANDS peninsula locals are fuming over delays in fixing the stinking lakes that pour out masses of midges into surrounding homes.

There are few issues that draw more complaint in the Bayswater council area than the state of Lake Brearley and Lake Bungana, two constructed lakes built out of the old brickworks claypits in the 1990s.

Bayswater council recently called for tenders to find a company to fix the numerous problems at the lakes, which are constantly affected by poor water quality, immense algal blooms, and a number of midges so prodigious it puts the old testament plagues to shame.

But at the December meeting, noticeably reluctant councillors opted not select any of the six submissions, as all scored poorly against the selection criteria.  

“The majority of submissions received did not fully address a number of key requirements,” according to a staff report to councillors.

Residents are disappointed.

At the opening of the meeting, chair of the Friends of Maylands Lakes community group Kevin Hamersley told councillors: “I apologise in advance for sounding like an angry old man, but I don’t need to remind you, councillors, how utterly frustrated and distressed the Maylands residents are with the City’s glacial progress despite our pleas for urgent action.

“Once again the City has overlooked the miserable conditions we endure, simply ruling that we can wait till March for a decision on the filtration project.”

Mr Hamersley says there’s been a lack of transparency about the whole process, with unexplained delays and a key consultant’s reports to council kept confidential. 

The group believes two of the tenderers present viable options in the form of mechanical filtration systems that could pump through thousands of square metres’ worth of water a day and rid it of algae and its antecedents. 

And while the options are costly, Mr Hamersley says “importantly, the City can afford that kind of expenditure. 

“The City spends millions of dollars on recreation infrastructure every year so the community can enjoy the outdoors. Our community cannot even enjoy their courtyards.

“There is no argument that $2.5 million to $3 million is a lot of money, but you get a very big bang for your buck: Rapid improvement in water quality, reduced toxins and midge numbers, plus water movement within the lakes. “

Evidence

But the council staff say even the best-scoring submissions lack detail and they need more evidence that their methods will actually work. Across the 70 points available in the selection criteria, only two tenders got above the halfway mark, and just barely, scoring 37.5 and 36 points out of 70.

Many past attempts to fix the lakes have failed, from surface-disrupting sprinklers, to natural sedge plantings, to lake-bed dredging, to tossing in blocks of clay to soak up excess algae-causing phosphorous. 

The millions spent on those attempts has made the council reluctant to dive in to another untested option. 

The two best scoring tenders would cost about $3m up-front and are estimated to cost another million a year to operate. 

Across two nights in December – the ordinary meeting on December 10, and then a second meeting to consider the options in detail on December 11 – councillors unanimously decided they couldn’t go ahead with any of the tenders in their current form.

Mayor Filomena Piffaretti said: “The Maylands Lakes issue is complex, and I’m very aware of the impact this issue is having on residents, and it truly does keep me up at night. 

“But years of trial and error have shown us that there’s no quick fix. 

“We need to learn from lessons of the past and ensure that we are making decisions based on evidence.

“Sometimes the right decision is not the most popular decision, and whilst I understand the community’s desire to have a solution yesterday, we need to be realistic and it’s our job as councillors to ensure we are doing our due diligence before agreeing to spend a very significant amount of ratepayer money on an approach where we haven’t been provided all the necessary information as part of the tender process. 

“The motion we have before us, as unpopular as it may be, is the right decision and I thank the administration for their fearless advice.”

There was no politicking in the chamber over the decision, and both south ward councillors who agreed with the mayor.

by DAVID BELL