The state’s councils are risking Tasmania’s reputation by not acting quickly enough to upgrade its water and sewerage assets, says Local Government Minister Peter Gutwein.
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Mr Gutwein will come down heavily on councils during his keynote address at the Committee for Economic Development of Australia function this Monday, pointing to TasWater’s ongoing compliance issues, rising unplanned service interruptions, and high rate of sewerage overflows.
Councils are shareholders in TasWater following the relinquishment of water and sewerage assets in 2009.
In his speech, Mr Gutwein will accuse councils of putting dividend payments to themselves ahead of infrastructure investment.
“From 2009 to the end of TasWater’s current 10-year plan, local councils will receive almost $400 million in distributions from TasWater,” Mr Gutwein said.
“That’s money from TasWater that is not being reinvested in desperately needed upgrades to infrastructure.”
He said while the TasWater board last year made the decision to override councils and reduce dividends to fund its 10-year, $1.5 billion capital works program, more needed to be done.
“Councils are failing in their fundamental duty to ensure TasWater delivers safe drinking water and sewage services,” Mr Gutwein said.
“Tasmania’s enviable reputation for having a clean and safe environment is being put at risk by local government’s inability to ensure all Tasmanians have access to clean and safe drinking water and our wastewater systems comply with environmental standards.”
“Despite the obvious and urgent need for substantial investment in water and sewage infrastructure,25 towns remain on Boil Water or Do Not Consume alerts and only one of Tasmania’s 78 level-two sewage plants is 100-per-cent compliant with EPA discharge-to-waters limits,” Mr Gutwein said.
He said discharge-to-water limits had declined since 2009, and that TasWater’s rate of sewer overflows to the environment was seven times the national average.
Mr Gutwein said just 44 per cent of all treated wastewater was fully compliant with Environmental Protection Agency requirements.
He said there were 6007 unplanned water mains interruptions in 2014-15, affecting 33,352 customers, compared to 3513 interruptions two years prior.
Mr Gutwein said economic and environmental regulatory reports had repeatedly stated concerns about under-investment by TasWater.
The CEDA address will take place in Hobart on Monday.