DWER Director of Water and Ecosystem Planning, Susan Worley said there has been a significant increase in the number of people accessing DWER land around Flynn Rd near The Lakes. Land at Wellbucket off Gorrie Rd is also affected.
The department is calling for the unauthorised activities to stop and for the community to avoid the area.
鈥淭he land is part of the Mundaring Weir Catchment Area that supplies drinking water to Perth, the Goldfields and many towns in-between and we have seen a spike in illegal activities on DWER land,鈥 Ms Worley said.
鈥淭his has included large pine trees being felled for 鈥榗hainsaw practice鈥, arson, off-road vehicle use and camping.
鈥淚n some cases, we have seen footage of young children learning to ride dirt bikes on the same tracks that are being used by larger vehicles.
鈥淭he area is not safe for children to be riding and the department is concerned that if these unauthorised activities continue there is an increased risk of someone being seriously injured.
鈥淭hese activities are also placing the quality of our drinking water at risk鈥
Ms Worley said the Forest Products Commission and DWER are currently undertaking plantation and landscape rehabilitation works on this land with heavy machinery and treefelling operations underway at the site.
鈥淭his is a serious public safety issue,鈥 Ms Worley said.
鈥淵ou cannot have these kinds of unauthorised activities occurring in the same area as plantation and rehabilitation work.鈥
DWER officers are continuing to work with Western Australian Police and the Water Corporation to monitor and report unauthorised access in the area.
Increased signage was placed at the site last weekend to warn people they are trespassing and DWER staff issued visitors with information about appropriate activities in the catchment. Surveillance in the area will continue, along with an increase in site visits.
