Flinders Ranges Council says funding desperately needed for water upgrades

Residents in the Flinders Ranges town of Quorn are reliant on rain water and the local council says it’s high time that changed.

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Flinders Ranges Council is concerned Quorn could be left with sub-par water quality following a draft plan put out by the Essential Services Commission of South Australia (ESCOSA).

ESCOSA has released its SA Water Draft Regulatory Determination for 2020, which does not provide for more than $20 million in regional water quality improvements for Quorn, Wilmington and Melrose.

But Flinders Ranges Council Mayor Peter Slattery says these funds are desperately needed as most recent test results received from SA Water identified that the water in Quorn failed a number of compliance measures.

He said the failure to meet these compliance measures had a serious impact on the community, including the cost of replacing water heaters and tap fittings, buying in drinking water and a loss of tourism.

“The bush pays the same as everyone and deserves drinkable water and what we are being provided at present is far from that, give us a fair go, drinkable water is a basic human right,” he said.

Flinders Ranges Council mayor Peter Slattery says bush residents deserve the same water quality as their city counterparts.

An ESCOSA spokesman said the draft decision did not mean that the program had been refused.

“Regional water aesthetic upgrades are broadly supported, (but) customer groups and other stakeholders also identified that SA Water has not established a long-term program for those upgrades on a State-wide basis,” he said.

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“The commission would allow expenditure for development of that long-term plan, with the amount to be determined, and place the regional water quality improvement program on a ‘contingent project’ list. Under that approach, projects could be done contingent on finalisation of that long-term plan.”

The final determination is due in early June.