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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2023-09-28 Daily Xml
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SA Water Pipeline

Mr McBRIDE (MacKillop) (14:41): My question is to the Minister for Climate, Environment and Water. Can the minister confirm if there are plans to extend the SA Water pipeline to Wellington East? With your leave, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Mr McBRIDE: Wellington East is located 11 kilometres from Tailem Bend. It has a permanent population of around 200 people that grows to 1,000 during the holidays. The town's water supply is not suitable for drinking, as it is pumped straight from the River Murray. SA Water guidelines say the water is only fit for watering gardens and flushing toilets; however, given it is the town's main supply, residents are using it for dishwashing, washing machines, handbasins and the like. This worsened during the River Murray floods, when contaminated water from upstream further polluted Wellington East supply. Some residents contacted my office saying this water was poised as a health risk.

The solution lies in SA Water connecting the pipe that currently runs along the Princes Highway to Meningie. This would also involve a kilometre of piping, a build that would make a world of difference to those living in the town. Despite years of discussions and meetings involving the Coorong District Council, nothing has been done.

The SPEAKER: There are certainly a lot of facts there, but, since there is no point of order, I am going to turn to the Deputy Premier.

The Hon. S.E. CLOSE (Port Adelaide—Deputy Premier, Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, Minister for Defence and Space Industries, Minister for Climate, Environment and Water) (14:43): I thought he sought leave for an explanation for that. Thank you to the member for raising the question. It is another example of his excellent representation of his community. As the member laid out, there is a challenge with a water supply that is a private scheme owned by the Coorong District Council. For some time, there has been a question about whether that might be acquired by SA Water and turned into a scheme that is capable of delivering drinking-quality water or indeed whether a pipe might be taken some kilometre, I believe.

That proposition was not in the regulatory proposal to ESCOSA under the previous government for the four years that are coming to an end mid next year, nor is it in the draft proposal for this next one, so at present that is not a proposition that SA Water is supportive of. However, there has been over time—and I appreciate how long it has taken and it has been very frustrating—interaction between SA Water and the council over that existing supply and whether it can be upgraded. It was interrupted by the floods. There was an assessment process that was delayed for some time. I recall writing a letter to the mayor on the subject during the flood period.

I am now pleased to say that that assessment has been undertaken and has been forwarded by SA Water to the council, and the council expressed an interest in working with SA Water. SA Water is unlikely or perhaps won't take over a private system that isn't at the standard SA Water would expect a system to be, and so there will be a discussion between the council and SA Water about how that improvement is to be achieved. Nonetheless, at present there is some progress on that possible solution, but regrettably at this point not on the one that's preferred by the member.

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