Crackdown on bore water users

WA's water regulator has vowed to crackdown on households that draw too much water from backyard bores amid revelations a record number have been fined or warned in the past two months.

As scheme water users in Perth and the South West face inspections from the Water Corporation over the enforcement of a two-day-a-week sprinkler roster, the Department of Water released figures showing that almost 1000 infringements had been issued to people found breaching the rules on garden bores.

This included 220 $100 fines and more than 700 warnings, of which more than 400 were handed out after people dobbed in householders caught flouting conditions.

Susan Worley, the department's acting director of water resources, said the number of people found breaking the rules had been surprisingly high and came despite the more generous watering arrangements afforded to garden bore owners, who are allowed to use their sprinklers three times a week over summer.

Likening Perth's water finely balanced water situation to a stretched family budget, Ms Worley said the department would be toughening its enforcement of garden bore laws this summer as Perth’s fragile groundwater supplies came under intense pressure.

"When you're running pretty low on your budget you manage your money much more carefully," she said.

"It's the attitude we've been working towards for a long time (but) it's become much more of an issue to put effort into that now because the water use is really high compared to the water availability.

"And that's just a reflection on the climate in the last 10 years and the increasing population of Perth and increasing water use."

As Perth's stressed Gnangara Mound plums new lows and amid predictions WA's South West could be in the grip of drought until well into next year, Ms Worley said it was crucial garden bore owners used groundwater responsibly.

She said there was an increasing tendency among the city’s 176,000 backyard bore users to view groundwater as a fallback solution to scheme water restrictions and authorities needed to ensure this did not become entrenched.

Greens MLC Alison Xamon queried why the department was singling out domestic bore users when it failed to pursue with the same vigour commercial licence holders who breached conditions.