Coober Pedy’s water overhaul plan amid town water supply shutdowns during 40C heat

Mains water has been shut down across an entire outback town twice since December, as the community pushes ahead with plans for an urgent upgrade costing up to $20m.

Coober Pedy’s residents have been left without water twice this summer, and up to half the town’s water is leaking from decrepit pipes before it reaches homes.

The town lost access to mains water for a collective nine hours in December and again this month, amid ongoing problems with the ailing network.

The Coober Pedy District Council is seeking tenders from companies willing to buy the water reticulation system, fix it and operate it, eventually transferring ownership back after about 20 years.

Council administrator Tim Jackson said the network was leaking so badly that 30-50 per cent of its water was lost before it got to homes.

Coober Pedy Council is trying to sell its water supply system. Picture: Simon Cross

SA Water does not service the opal-mining town, where locals pay about three times as much for water as people in Adelaide because of higher supply costs – partly driven by wastage.

The council has for years been lobbying the state government to subsidise costs.

On January 11, the town’s supply was shut off for about three hours in 40C heat. The December outage lasted longer.

On both days, the council offered 10 litres of free packaged water to each household. Mr Jackson said that the council hoped to sell its water infrastructure to a private operator for about $9.5m, which would need to spend about $10m-$20m to upgrade it to stop the leaks.

It would recoup its investment by entering a supply contract with the council, which would act as the retailer, onselling it to residents.

People in Coober Pedy pay about three times as much for their water as people in Adelaide. Picture: Simon Cross

“We can’t fund it – no one would lend us that sort of money, so we’ve got to get the private sector involved,” Mr Jackson said.

He said selling the water system could clear the council’s $9.5m debt.

A government spokesman it was working with Mr Jackson to find solutions.

“Coober Pedy council should not be relying entirely on state government taxpayer interventions and, pleasingly, we understand they are investigating alternative water providers,” he said.

Giles Labor MP Eddie Hughes said SA Water should take over the infrastructure.

“It’s not acceptable that a community the size of Coober Pedy and its low ratepayer base, with many people on low incomes, should be expected to do what no other regional community of its size is expected to do – namely, deliver an essential service,” he said.

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