A proposal to build a giant saltworks in the Exmouth Gulf in Western Australia has been condemned by conservationists as a threat to endangered species.
German industrial company K+S has submitted its proposal to build a 210-sq-km saltworks on the pristine gulf – a crucial part of the adjacent world heritage-listed Ningaloo coast.
The proposal would involve constructing salt pond walls over the nationally listed wetlands, which could disrupt the ecosystem’s nutrient flows via tidal or flood waters into the gulf and disrupt the marine food chain.
The development could also add to the risk of discharge of toxic hypersaline water from the salt ponds that could kill highly sensitive mangroves and harm marine animals, such as critically endangered sawfish and shovelnose rays, which live in the nearby creeks and marine waters.
The director of Protect Ningaloo, Paul Gamblin, said the proposal posed too many risks to the local environment.
“The right thing for K+S to do would be to withdraw its project for the good of the Exmouth Gulf ecosystem and its long list of threatened species.
“Those huge salt ponds would potentially block the water that runs over that coastline into the gulf, which provides a lot of nutrients for Exmouth Gulf, it relies on that shoreline.
“If you build those very long walls, you risk breaking that connection between the lands and the sea. You could also have the hypersaline water that could seep through the walls, as has happened elsewhere, and threaten the local ecosystem.”
Gamblin said such a proposal would “undermine” attempts by the state government to protect the gulf, which is a sanctuary for threatened species such as dugongs and turtles.
“If you start undermining the environment there, you start undermining the natural capital, which supports the activities which generate most of the jobs and the economy in that area,” he said.
“So you’re cutting off your nose to spite your face by allowing industrial projects that damage the area.”
Gerrit Gödecke, Managing Director, K+S Salt Australia told the Guardian K+S Salt Australia had spent six years and $10m in research into the environment and ecosystems around the proposed project.
He says the proposal takes into consideration the environmental impact, and that it was negligible.
“Nutrient flow has been considered and the peer-reviewed results of Coastal, Surface Water and Nutrient Pathway studies show there is little to no impact on the Exmouth Gulf.”
“Studies into the proposed re-hydration and return of bitterns (dehydrated seawater with salt removed) to the ocean and potential effects of salt water ponds on local groundwater also show very little potential impact.”
The Exmouth Gulf is home to about 800 species of fish and 831 species of molluscs, as well as 63 species of sharks and rays and at least 15 species of sea snakes, some critically endangered.
The gulf is also a globally significant humpback whale nursery, a spot where mothers with young calves look to rest and eat in preparation for migrating to the Antarctic.
The submission of the proposal comes nearly two years after the state government declared it would introduce safeguards to protect the “spectacular” gulf.
The McGowan government introduced conservation measures in December 2021, including the establishment of a new marine park for the eastern and southern parts of the gulf and class A status for local areas of significance such as Qualing Pool, Camerons Cave and the gulf’s islands.
The classifications were introduced after recommendations from the Environmental Protection Agency, which welcomed the measures, with Prof Matthew Tonts from the EPA saying it was a “win for the environment”.
“Future activities and developments proposed for Exmouth Gulf will need to show they are compatible with the protection of the key values of this globally significant area,” Prof Tonts said at the time.
“This will ensure important marine species such as humpback whales, dugongs, dolphins and turtles are protected for future generations.”
The WA Environment Minister Reece Whitby reiterated the government’s dedication to protecting the region, but said the ministry is waiting on independent advice.
“It’s important to consider the potential cumulative impacts of any proposals in the Exmouth Gulf and their effects on the environmental, social and cultural values of the area.”
“I will wait for the independent advice from the Environmental Protection Authority regarding the proposal by K+S Salt Australia Pty Ltd. It would be inappropriate to comment on any proposal under assessment.”
