More than 60 properties in the north eastern suburbs are part of the first group being connected to a modern sewer network, resulting in better wastewater services and lower costs for residents.
These pilot sites at Glenere Drive in Modbury and on nearby Dawson Drive, Angus Court and North East Road are part of the Marshall Liberal Government’s commitment to fix the failing council-run community wastewater management scheme (CWMS).
Around 4,700 property-owners will save around $400 a year once the CWMS is transferred to the SA Water network, however, without the City of Tea Tree Gully agreeing to the transition plan major works on the project can’t begin.
The State Government has written to the Council to outline its disappointment at the council’s lack of action to help properly transition the failing local sewerage system to the SA Water network.
Minister for Environment and Water David Speirs said the Tea Tree Gully CWMS has been a long-standing issue for residents in the north eastern suburbs of Adelaide
“For too long the CWMS has been mismanaged by the local council resulting in huge costs and inferior services to those connected to the system,” Minister Speirs said.
“The Marshall Liberal Government has committed to fix this problem once and for all at no cost to residents – saving around $400 a year and improving services for more than 12,000 people.
“The Labor-aligned Tea Tree Gully Council is now dragging its feet in agreeing to our transition plan in what can only be described as political gamesmanship at the expense of residents.
“It has been almost six months since the Council received the transition plan and almost a year and a half since we announced we would be transferring the CWMS to SA Water.
Even worse, the Council is inexplicably suggesting that it might impose further rate rises as it continues to delay the start of this crucial project. We have re-iterated once again that our government is fully committed to funding this project, without costs to residents.
“We understand a project of this size and scale may result in potential cost pressures to the City of Tea Tree Gully and are willing to work with Council to make sure these don’t result in costs to residents. However, we have made it clear to that, based on its poor historical performance, we cannot blindly accept its claims without independent, rigorous scrutiny.”
Member for Newland Richard Harvey said he was disappointed the Council was trying to delay the project, particularly when property owners are currently paying more than $700 a year to access the system with costs expected to rise to $900 in coming years if nothing is done. This is compared to $462 in sewerage charges for the average SA Water metropolitan customer.
“Residents are sick and tired of having paying hundreds of dollars a year to be connected to an essential service which is prone to failure,” Dr Harvey said.
“The former government put this issue in the ‘too hard’ basket for more than a decade and I am proud to be part of a government which is finally delivering a solution for those in the north eastern suburbs.
“We are keen to just get on with this important project and to have the Council continuing to put up roadblocks is frustrating for those residents that just want to have lower costs and better services.”
The overall project will be done in three stages, with prioritisation based on a range of criteria. This includes proximity of properties to SA Water’s existing sewer network, community feedback, alignment with upcoming council and development works, and areas with a reported history of blockages and overflows from the existing CWMS infrastructure.
For the past 12 months, SA Water has had significant engagement with the City of Tea Tree Gully community, including through letters, drop-in sessions and targeted discussions, and these conversations will continue as the program progresses, to ensure residents are kept informed and individual property needs and expectations are considered.
People can also find up-to-date project information, and provide feedback at any time at watertalks.sawater.com.au.
