Tea Tree Gully Council to increase annual charge of community waste water system

Thousands of people with septic tanks in northern suburbs of Adelaide are going to have their bills hiked up.

The Community Wastewater Managememt System (CWMS) operated by Tea Tree Gully Council

Thousands of northeastern residents with septic tanks will be charged an extra $166 — either immediately or over the next four years.

Tea Tree Gully Council’s audit committee has accepted professional advice that the annual fee has to be increased from $595 to $761 to meet statutory requirements to recover the full costs of running public infrastructure.

Financial advisers BRM Holdich presented a detailed report to the committee, detailing how the increase could be introduced in the next financial year or phased in between 2019 and 2023, along with annual increases of 5 per cent taking the total to $881.

The two options will be presented to the next full meeting of council on June 11, with two councillors who own properties with septic tanks seeking permission to participate in debate.

Steventon Ward councillors Lucas Jones and Jessica Linvelt are among 4500 property owners connected to a community wastewater management system operated by Tea Tree Gully since the 1960s.

The Community Wastewater Management System (CWMS) operated by Tea Tree Gully Council

They have written to Local Government Minister Stephan Knoll seeking exemption from conflict of interest rules so they can oppose the imposition of the increase in one year.

Cr Jones said ratepayers on fixed incomes could not afford to pay the increase, which was required to help raise millions needed to maintain and upgrade the system.

“To make matters worse, the report also recommends an annual five per cent increase every year over the next 40 years in addition to the $166 increase,” he said.

“There is still time for the State Government to come to the party and partially fund some of the upgrades, or alternatively agree to change State Government legislation to allow Tea Tree Gully Council to fund upgrade works from its general revenue base.”

Cr Jones said he was disappointed the committee voted 2-1 to include the immediate increase of $166 as one of the options to be considered by the full council.

“It would be remarkably out of touch for the Council to consider slugging our residents an additional $166 a year,” he said.

An asset management report last year identified serious problems with the system, which operates 4645 septic tanks and 112km of pipes across Banksia Park, Tea Tree Gully, Redwood Park, Ridgehaven, Vista, Fairview Park, Yatala Vale, Surrey Downs, St Agnes, Hope Valley, Modbury North and Modbury.

These included:

■ Risks to public health and environmental pollution, particularly groundwater contamination, due to “leaking assets and privately owned septic tanks”.

■ Failure of “critical assets such as trunk mains, disrupting services over extended periods”.

■ Poor understanding of buried assets “leading to poor planning of asset renewals”.

■ Increasing urban infill “placing increased demand on the CWMS network”.