The federal Labor Party last week committed to contributing $75 million over three years towards an infrastructure upgrades which is certain to deliver a much-needed new $285 sewage plant for Launceston.

The new plant is designed to take pressure off the city’s combined sewerage and stormwater system which inundates connected sewage plants and pump stations during heavy flows, causing raw effluent to spill into the troubled Tamar.

According to Right to Information documents obtained by The Examiner earlier this year, raw effluent poured into the Tamar River from TasWater’s Margaret Street pump station on 1255 occasions in 2014 and 913 occasions in 2015.

Subsequent water testing revealed that enterococci levels were at 62,000 colony-forming units per 100ml.

The National Health and Medical Research Council indicates that a waterway that contains more 500cfu per 100ml carries a “ significant risk of high levels of illness transmission”.

Aside from being a health risk, the waterway is an eyesore and an embarrassment.

A cleaner river is important for the wellbeing of the community, the city’s economic development and its tourism draw.

Nobody, visitor or resident, needs to see the remnants of human waste at low tide while enjoying a riverside meal.

Estuary advocates – normal community members with nothing but a passion and interest for a cleaner waterway – have long cried out over the parlous state of the Tamar and bemoaned the perceived lack of real political action over its condition.

They have persisted through letters to this newspaper and political representatives, relentless campaigning and lobbying, informal forums and discussion groups.

Their efforts are oft-acknowledged but always appreciated.

Labor’s commitment follows one from Tasmanian councils who agreed to freeze TasWater dividends for the next decade if the state and federal governments contributed $400 million for a $1.8 billion of sewerage and infrastructure upgrade program.

Now it’s time for the federal government to match Labor’s pledge and for the state government to dip into their pockets to contribute towards this solution.