Sustainable Sewers Program

Dr HARVEY (Newland) (16:00): Today, I rise to update the house on work to transition residents from the Tea Tree Gully council's Community Wastewater Management System (CWMS) to SA Water's sewerage network. On Monday just gone, the Minister for Environment and Water and I visited Glenere Drive in Modbury, one of the two pilot projects conducted by SA Water as part of the Tea Tree Gully Sustainable Sewers Program.

It was great to witness the first flush milestone, with the first property transferred from CWMS to SA Water's sewerage network. It was the first time that I, and I believe the minister, had been at a first flush milestone. I think that it was more of a symbolic first flush and that they had not been asked to hold on until we turned up. In any case, it was a very important milestone in a really important project for thousands of people across the north-east.

We met Pauline, a property owner, who was thrilled with the project, being finally taken off an archaic council system, now saving hundreds of dollars a year, having a modern reliable service and not having to open up her driveway and lift out all the dirt to access the septic tank every four years or so.

Another really important point Pauline made to us—and she made this point a number of times—was the really positive experience she had working with SA Water, particularly the community engagement team who works closely with all households as they transition onto SA Water sewerage. We also spoke to John, who lives across the road—I have spoken to him a number of times—and he simply cannot wait until he is connected, and this will not be too far away.

The pilot project is providing SA Water with important insights and knowledge on the complexities of connecting CWMS properties to the SA Water sewerage system. Retrofitting already established areas with modern sewerage on the sort of scale we are dealing with has not really been done before, but there have already been some very important learnings and the project is progressing well.

SA Water has continued to consult with residents throughout this pilot project following the laying of 134 metres of gravity sewer main in December last year. SA Water has been contacting every house and conducting on-property assessments to determine the best connection solution. As I described in this place recently, the works to transition CWMS customers over to SA Water will be conducted in stages, with prioritisation based on a number of factors, particularly the performance of the system, so that those areas with the most problems are being prioritised, but community feedback was also an important part.

SA Water has now released its Sustainable Sewers Transition Plan, which is available to view or download at the Water Talks website. The transition plan includes details around the prioritisation criteria and contains a list and a map of the council catchments for each stage of the transition. As the project progresses, SA Water will write to customers prior to the commencement of on-property investigations to provide a works information sheet and to request customers to book an on-property assessment. Following an on-property assessment, a time line will be provided for the transition and information on the benefits of becoming an SA Water customer, and contacts for more information will also be provided.

The CWMS is an issue that thousands of residents in our community in the north-east have had to put up with for decades. Whether it is skyrocketing prices, sewerage bubbling up in the backyard or the inconvenience of having to locate and access the septic tank every four years, it is time to fix this problem once and for all.

For far too long, whether by past councils or former governments, the concerns of residents on the CWMS have been ignored, dismissed or simply ridiculed. I am proud to be part of a government that has listened and is wasting no time getting on with the job of fixing this problem. Over the coming years, at no cost to the household, homes will be connected to a modern, reliable sewer system that delivers nationally accepted levels of service for its customers and will save households hundreds of dollars per year.