Groundwater Drainage

Mr COWDREY (Colton) (15:34): I would like to draw the house's attention today to the seven-year long neglect of a groundwater drainage issue stemming from a residential and retail complex developed at that time in Henley Beach. As many people know, I am a passionate advocate for the beautiful section of metropolitan coastline that I am fortunate enough to represent, but with the good comes the bad, and there are several issues that currently face this section of Adelaide's coast.

I was lucky enough throughout the campaign to have frequent visits from my colleague the member for Black, the then shadow environment minister, to discuss several coastal issues affecting my electorate, issues like sand replenishment, coastal restoration and the longstanding drainage issue. These issues were regularly brought to my attention whilst out on the campaign trail and are a key priority of mine to resolve, so I am thankful for the attention that the now Minister for Environment gave to these matters prior to the election and for his continuing to work with me on delivering a resolution for them moving forward.

One of the more longstanding issues that many in my community cannot seem to understand is why it has taken so long to resolve the groundwater drainage problem at Henley Beach. For seven long years, local residents have had to put up with stained water constantly draining onto the beach from the groundwater aquifer, which was discovered upon construction of the residential and retail development at Henley Square.

I am also honestly quite surprised by the length of time it has taken for this matter to be resolved. Shortly after the election, I wrote to the Minister for Environment requesting an update on this matter and was provided with an in-depth briefing subsequently on what work had occurred over the lengthy seven-year period. I took this opportunity to stress the importance of having this issue resolved for our community. The groundwater drainage problem appeared to have come to light in 2011, when it was intercepted during excavation works carried out by the developer.

Since then, the Department for Environment has been working in collaboration with the City of Charles Sturt and the developer to achieve voluntary compliance in resolving this matter. Currently, the intercepted groundwater is being directed to holding tanks in the basement car park of the development and then subsequently disposed of onto the beach at Henley Square. This current arrangement is posing a risk to the resource itself, as there is a small chance of increased groundwater salinity, as well as possible soil subsidence.

In light of the risks brought to my attention and the astronomical waste of water that has proven to be clean and safe, I again advocate my strong desire for this to be resolved as quickly as possible. I do not believe that there is a reasonable explanation for taking seven years to address this matter. It certainly cannot be blamed on a lack of public pressure.

I would like to acknowledge, well before my advocacy on this matter, the tireless work of my community, in particular the Western Adelaide Coastal Residents' Association (WACRA), that has kept this issue in the public eye and has constantly held the department, council and developer to account, but now, in my role as a local member, it is my turn to deliver for my community. In the coming days and weeks, I will be liaising with the minister, the department and other stakeholders to ensure that we find a long-term and permanent fix to this long-running problem.

I believe we should be working towards delivering a resolution before next summer, when thousands upon thousands of locals, visitors and tourists will again flock to the beautiful tourist destination that is Henley Beach.