Quorn Water Supply

In reply to the Hon. J.S. LEE (Deputy Leader of the Opposition) ().10 April 2024).

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries): With regard to question 1:

The Minister for Climate, Environment and Water is responsible for water quality in regional towns. The Department for Environment and Water and regional landscape boards work together to manage our water resources.

SA Water's drinking water supplies, including Quorn, meet the human health requirements of the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines and the Safe Drinking Water Act. This is confirmed each quarter by SA Health.

It is acknowledged that some regional town drinking water supplies do not always meet customer expectations in terms of aesthetic qualities, including taste. This is most often due to the challenges associated with saline groundwater sources as the only viable water supply option in these areas.

SA Water has published its 'Long-term plan for improving drinking water aesthetics' which is publicly available on its website. Timing for improvements to drinking water quality for these three townships will be determined as part of SA Water's investment prioritisation in future planning cycles.

With regard to question 2:

I am advised that The Flinders Ranges Council recently met with SA Water which will now undertake a study to look into the Quorn water quality issues and options to address these issues.