Lake Kepwari is a
man-made reservoir located in the
South-West region of
Western Australia, about south-east of
Collie. "Kepwari" is a
Noongar word meaning "playing in water".
Description
The lake is a former open-cut coal mine formerly known as Western Five, part of a mining lease operated by
Wesfarmers Premier Coal from 1970 until 1996. It is long, wide and up to deep. It covers and holds about of water.
Since 2003, rehabilitation work on the site has been undertaken to develop it as a community aquatic recreation facility. It has taken about five years to fill with water from
Collie River South. In 2008, the
state government
A state government is the government that controls a subdivision of a country in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonomy, or ...
allocated 3.29 million for the recreational development of the site.
Its opening has been delayed, however, due to public safety concerns about the low
pH levels (pH 4.5) in the water. The acidity is believed to be due to ground water leakage at its deeper points. The ground water contains high levels of iron which oxidises and causes acidity levels to rise.
In 2009, the government called for submissions for an environmental impact assessment relating to the effects of reconnecting Collie River South to the lake, which is intended to create a flushing effect. The river is upstream from
Wellington Dam
Wellington Dam Hydro Power Station is a hydroelectric power station near Collie, Western Australia, Collie, Western Australia. It has one water turbine with a generating capacity of of electricity. The Wellington Dam Hydro Power Station was one ...
and was diverted around the southern edge of the site throughout the mining operations.
It was officially opened in December 2020 by Premier
Mark McGowan. The 5.2 million campground and boating facilities were described as part of a larger 23.3 million investment in infrastructure in the area to make it a tourism hub.
Facilities
The lake has a boat ramp and parking for trailers along the shoreline. Water skiing is permitted in the lake along kayaking and swimming. Shelters and gas barbeques are also found near the boat ramp. Fishing is permitted in the lake and
redfin perch
The European perch (''Perca fluviatilis''), also known as the common perch, redfin perch, big-scaled redfin, English perch, Euro perch, Eurasian perch, Eurasian river perch, Hatch, poor man’s rockfish or in Anglophone parts of Europe, simply th ...
and
marron are both commonly caught. There are some campsites in the area, but booking is required.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kepwari
Reservoirs in Western Australia
Artificial lakes of Australia
Shire of Collie