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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2013-07-25 Daily Xml
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SCHOOLS, DRINKING WATER

Mr TRELOAR (Flinders) (15:27): I congratulate the member for Colton for covering three distinct topics in just five minutes. I listened intently. I rise today to speak about an issue that has come to my attention that is impacting schools right across this state. I refer to a recently issued formal notice from the Department of Education and Child Development regarding the use of rainwater tanks for drinking purposes at schools. DECD has issued a formal notice stating that no rainwater tank is to be utilised for drinking when mains water is available.

There is an issue here, because many of the schools that I am aware of, particularly the area schools in the country, have taken on a responsible attitude with regard to the harvesting of water. Many schools have large roof areas and have the ability to capture much rainwater and store it on site. I can honestly say that in many situations the quality of that water is much better than the mains water that is available.

The Eyre Peninsula water supply is, for all intents and purposes and by world standards, of potable quality. However, it is relatively high in salinity and calcium content, which impacts on the quality of the water. Even though it is potable it is not particularly palatable, and I can guarantee that drinking water from a rainwater tank is much more enjoyable than drinking mains water out of a tap on the Eyre Peninsula.

I will concede that the quality in the Far West has improved somewhat since the adjunct of River Murray water, and the shandy now extends west from Lock. The quality of the water has improved. However, the fact remains that schools have been instructed, if mains water is installed, not to use their rainwater tanks. The policy states:

Harvested rainwater shall not be used for drinking purposes at sites with public mains water.

There are qualifications and, for those schools that do not have mains water and only have rainwater available through tanks, there are a number of qualifications, such as, 'Sludge shall be removed every two to three years by a professional tank cleaner.' The next point is: 'All rainwater tanks shall have a flush diverter fitted,' and there are other qualifications. There must be disinfection via ultraviolet light irradiation. I do not necessarily have a problem with those qualifiers. However, why is it that schools that have rainwater tanks fitted cannot put those things in place and utilise what they have installed?

In many cases, school councils (parents often) have gone to great effort and cost to install rainwater tanks, thinking that they are doing the right thing in a dry state, in a dry continent. I am aware that the Keith Area School has spent $15,000 to $20,000 installing rainwater tanks and piping, only to be told now that they may not be able to use it. So, there are mixed messages coming through here. In one sense we are being asked to conserve our water resource and yet at the same time we are being, in a rather nonsensical way, instructed by the government not to make use of all available resources.

On the back of this, particularly on the Eyre Peninsula, where SA Water has identified that demand will exceed supply for the reticulated supply as early as 2020, water conservation and careful use of water are paramount. On the strength of that, I have been taking a close interest in the Natural Resources Committee undertaking their water inquiry into the Eyre Peninsula water supply. I am a strong advocate of rainwater tanks. Most of us on this side of the house at least, and many on the other side, grew up drinking rainwater. I do not know how we ever survived without all these modern instruments, but we managed, and I still enjoy drinking rainwater.

Further to that—I am going to cover a second topic very quickly—I can report that good rains have fallen across the state, the rainwater tanks are full, the creeks are running, the rivers are flowing and the farmers are looking at a good season. Fingers crossed that those rains continue, and we look forward to a bountiful harvest and full rainwater tanks going into the summer.

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