Flinders Ranges town’s water crisis: Claims tap system is ‘like using swimming pool liquid’

An outback community which claims its water is undrinkable and dangerous to touch is pleading for a clean supply, saying the state government has ignored pleas for decades.

Quorn residents Matt Skull and Annaleise Perry and their four children – Charlie, Eddie, Ava and Will. Picture: Peter Taylor

A tiny outback community is pleading for a safe and clean official water system after the state government ignored warnings the popular tourist town was the state’s most urgent area to fix.

The 1250 Quorn residents, who live 336km north of Adelaide, spend thousands of dollars on rainwater systems, or bottled water, despite living in one of the state’s driest zones.

Flinders Ranges locals argue high chlorine, chloride and salt makes water like “liquid sandpaper”, akin to a swimming pool, undrinkable, dangerous to touch while destroying their appliances, taps and gardens.

Community leaders will on Wednesday call for taxpayer help to end their more than 30-year “water crisis” and for urgent work on a local desalination plant to create safe supplies.

Despite SA Water identifying Quorn as the state’s top upgrade priority, no urgent work is slated over the next four years due to it being too expensive.

An SA Water feasibility study put a new groundwater desalination plant cost at almost $51m – or more than $42,000 per resident – but was preferred over new pipelines.

Quorn residents Annelise Perry sprays two of her sons. Picture: Peter Taylor

But Flinders Ranges Council mayor Ken Anderson said residents “deserve better” and had the right to clean, safe drinking water rather than expensive alternative such as bottles or tanks.

More than 500,000 tourists visit the region, which is home to the Pichi Richi train.

“Undrinkable tap water has placed a significant financial, environmental and health toll,” he said.

Mr Anderson said it caused skin irritations, killed plants, left washing machines needing regular replacing for corrosion, rusted shower heads and repeatedly broke or blocked drains.

“Even the pet dog won’t drink it,” he said.

Mr Anderson said the council had raised concerns to country Cabinet, Deputy Premier Susan Close, local MPs, SA Water and the Essential Services Commission for years but pleas had “fallen on deaf ears”.

SA Water in 2020 identified Quorn as the state’s main priority area.

It was the worst location in more than a dozen technical, social and economic criteria while 97 per cent of residents refuse to drink tap water.

In contrast, four in five Adelaide and almost two thirds of regional use tap water as their primary drinking source.

Figures show Quorn’s average annual 250mm rainfall is less than half of Adelaide’s average.

Boiler maker Matt Skull, 36, has spent more than $7500 on 80,000lt rainwater tank storage so his Quorn household can cook, clean and drink.

His nurse partner of 14 years Annelise Perry, 42, and their four children, aged between six and 10, use water sparingly as supplies will likely run short in summer.

“We use rainwater for pretty much everything,” he said. “Tap water destroys everything.”

Environment Minister Dr Close said the cost “cannot be justified by the utility in the current economic climate” while SA Water had more pressing works.

“Quorn’s water supply is deemed safe to drink and currently meets Australian standards,” she said.

An SA Water spokesman said Quorn was still a priority and “we understand the water can be unpleasant to taste and impact household appliances”.

Originally published as Flinders Ranges town’s water crisis: Claims tap system is ‘like using swimming pool liquid’