The state government has defended its management of Waroona Dam and surrounding areas, despite anti-social behaviour increasing over the past four years.
The Mandurah Mail reported last month on the unorthodox system of managing public services and safety at the popular destination, with no forward planning considering public safety or the increasing visitor numbers.
There is no current state management plan ensuring the safety of visitors in the forest area of the caravan park, or the dam body itself.
The Waroona Reservoir and Catchment Area Management Plan 1990 - 2000, was the last joint management plan created by the Water Authority and the Department of Conservation and Land Management.
The Waroona Dam attracts a great deal of holiday-goers, especially over long weekends.
The Lake Navarino Caravan park owners are responsible for managing the land, which includes dealing with anti-social behaviour, fire prevention and recording visitor numbers.
The dam is located on unallocated Crown land. The land and forest surrounding the water is state owned and rented to the caravan park, while the Water Corporation is responsible for the dam wall structure and a small parcel of land around the dam wall.
The Shire of Waroona maintains the roads around the dam, but has no jurisdiction over the dam itself.
In 2018, 54 infringements and cautions were issued by the Department of Transport for water-related offences, including driving a boat with no Skipper's Ticket, towing without an observer and speeding.
By comparison in 2015, 41 infringements and cautions were issued.
In total, 185 infringements and cautions have been issued by the Department of Transport in the past four years.
A Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) spokeswoman said the management arrangement was "not uncommon".
"The current management arrangements, whereby boating and skiing in the water bodies of dams are managed by Department of Transport, the dam wall and the land around the wall are managed by Water Corporation, and the surrounding forest area is managed by DBCA, is not uncommon through the south-west forests of Western Australia," she said.
"The DBCA implements a visitor risk management (VRM) program across all areas of forest it is responsible for managing to ensure the safety of visitors.
"The VRM program places a higher priority on areas which are managed for recreation and camping."
Carla Hildebrandt
Journalist at the Mandurah Mail
Journalist at the Mandurah Mail
