Greywater Compliance

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Climate Change) (14:37): Whilst I am on my feet, I might address a couple of comments to the question asked by the Hon. Michelle Lensink about the EPA's houseboat audits. I have got some advice I can offer her now. The EPA recently completed a number of houseboat inspections for black and greywater management in the River Murray region.

Greywater is predominantly waste from the kitchens, laundries and bathrooms of houseboats. A code of practice for vessel and facility management requires that all vessels operating on marine and inland water contain or treat any greywater that is produced on board and, in the past six years since the EPA first implemented the vessels program, compliance levels have reached around 80 per cent, I am advised, for both commercial and private houseboats.

The recent houseboat greywater management inspections took place in Renmark involving 62 private vessels. I am advised that most people are doing the right thing. For those vessels that weren't compliant, the EPA is working with those to make sure they satisfy the code of practice. If the Hon. Michelle Lensink would like a breakdown of those numbers I am happy to bring that back for her. She also asked a question about the number of EPA staff involved in that audit, and I'll come back with that information at a later time.