A remote community in Western Australia's outback is crowdfunding and selling art to raise money to fix its water supply, which has uranium levels more than twice the national health standards.

Buttah Windee is 760 kilometres north-east of Perth on the outskirts of Meekatharra.

Andrew Binsiar, a local Yamatji elder and Indigenous leader, has lived in the community for almost 20 years, raising his five children there with his wife Janine.

About nine and a half years ago, Mr Binsiar discovered the water the community had been drinking was tainted with high levels of uranium.

"I found out because one of my koi fish died and I thought I'd get the water sampled," he said.

Mr Binsiar was shocked when the results came back showing Buttah Windee's water supply contained uranium at levels higher than 0.04 milligrams per litre (mg/L).

According to WA Water Corporation's drinking water guidelines it should not exceed 0.017mg/L.

Paediatrician Dr Christine Jeffries-Stokes from the Rural Clinical School of WA said ingesting uranium could lead to kidney disease.

"Uranium is radioactive. If it's outside your body, small exposures are of low risk but once it gets inside the body then that becomes a real problem and it's very toxic to kidneys," she said.

"You're born with all the kidney cells you're ever going to have basically and so if you damage them by … exposure to uranium … then they can't regenerate."

Buttah Windee was home to about 50 people before uranium was discovered in the community's drinking water. ( ABC Midwest and Wheatbelt: Dominique Bayens )

Too expensive, not enough people: Government

Signage installed by the Department of Communities warns residents and visitors about unsafe drinking water at Buttah Windee community. ( ABC Midwest and Wheatbelt: Dominique Bayens )

At the time, Mr Binsiar contacted the state Housing Department, but was told by officials it would cost about $500,000 to fix the water supply.

And according to Rachael Green, the Department of Communities' assistant director-general of regional and remote services, Buttah Windee's small population did not warrant the financial investment.

"The cost of a suitable water treatment plant was investigated and found to be excessive given the small size of the community," she said.

Instead, the department installed signage, warning against drinking the water and provided bottled water for the residents.

A year later, the department then offered to move residents from their homes into public housing in Meekatharra.

But Mr Binsiar said that would have taken residents away from their home and country to a community plagued by social issues such as crime, alcohol dependency and domestic violence.

"I've built a beautiful home for my family away from town and the drug and alcohol problems they have, why would I take my kids back into that?"

The residents declined the State Government's offer, choosing instead to cart safe drinking water from Meekatharra.

"Now we don't drink the water, we still shower in it, but we get our drinking water from town," Mr Binsiar said.

The department stopped providing management services in 2013 and has had no formal relationship with the community since.

Uranium contamination sparks resident exodus

Over the past nine and a half years, the community's population has dwindled from 50 to about 12, due to residents' fears for their health.

"Everyone moved away because of the uranium," Mr Binsiar said.

"[It] makes you feel sad that you know people who are up in these positions who could fix it, turn their cheek."

Determined to restore the population and bring employment opportunities to younger residents, Mr Binsiar has built an aquaculture farm to grow barramundi.

He hopes one day he will be able to serve the fish to tourists.

"Who would have thought you could grow barramundi in the desert?"

The Buttah Windee community welcomes visitors from across the state, and hopes a barramundi project will bring more tourists in the future. ( ABC Midwest and Wheabtelt: Jessica Hayes )

Since the project began, Mr Binsiar said it had empowered the community's young people.

"One of the young fellas was that far into depression … he wouldn't leave his room," he said.

"Since he's been working with me he's got his licence, he's done a week away in Geraldton by himself; he's an independent young man."

Mr Binsiar's 17-year-old son Raymond began work experience at the aquaculture farm last month.

"It's really exciting. Before Dad started doing all this stuff, besides youth work, I didn't really know what else to do," he said.

"The fish farm will make a big difference; it will make people learn new skills and give them a lot more job opportunities."

17-year-old Raymond Binsiar grew up in Buttah Windee and recently started work experience on the aquaculture project. ( ABC Midwest and Wheatbelt: Jessica Hayes )

But the high uranium levels in the town's water has put the project in doubt.

"Uranium doesn't carry over to the flesh, but I wouldn't sell a tourist or feed a tourist with a fish that's been grown in contaminated water, it's just not the right thing to do," Mr Binsiar said.

Despite previous estimates by the State Government, Mr Binsiar believes the water supply could be fixed for far less using a new bore that has since been drilled nearby.

He said the bore had safe uranium levels and could be used to pump water to the community at a cost of $26,000.

"We need a solar powered bore pump, some piping to get it back here and a pressure pump to disperse it," he said.

Hopes art sales will fund water fix

Mr Binsiar said he had been left with no choice but to fundraise for the equipment.

"We want to do it in a positive way, we don't want to argue with anyone. We don't want to be pointing the finger at anyone; we just want the water fixed," he said.

About 200 people visited the community recently to attend an art exhibition, with funds raised going towards purchasing the bore equipment.

Mr Binsiar has also set up a GoFundMe page.

"We're not looking for a handout we just want this hand up and we'll make everyone proud," he said.