Bracknell’s waste water battle could soon be a thing of the past, after the Meander Valley Council moved a motion to investigate the cause.
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The council will seek a cost estimate for Bracknell’s sewerage scheme to present to TasWater for consideration.
In 2016, council reviewed the town’s waste water issues and discussed a program to investigate a fix with the water body.
TasWater said it would “prioritise” a sewerage introduction program if it was cost neutral for the organisation.
The review found it would cost between $50,000 and $100,000 to conduct a feasibility and planning study.
Councillor Michael Kelly moved the motion saying it was about time the issue was “grabbed by the horns”.
“We need to get it organised and get the projects underway,” he said.
Councillor Bob Richardson said there was a “very real need” to address the water issue.
“In Bracknell there is a real health problem and furthermore that translates to many down the river,” he said.
“I don’t think we should fund this, I think we have to.”
Councillor Deb White said the town had “quite a bit of catching up to do” and described the current situation as “archaic”.
The council have budgeted $70,000 for Bracknell’s sewerage planning in its 2017/18 budget.
Councillor Perkins said TasWater supported the council.
The organisations will work together to refine the project’s scope and improve the cost estimate.
The motion was originally considered at the council’s March meeting, but a procedural motion was put to defer the issue for two months to allow for TasWater ownership and takeover issues to be clarified.
A TasWater Spokesman said the water body and the council had been in discussions for “some time”.
“Investigations and preliminary designs for a reticulated sewer system for Bracknell were first completed in the 1970’s and were subsequently reassessed in the 1990’s,” he said.
“The issue historically has been the cost required to establish a sewerage system to service the town.”
The spokesman said TasWater don’t currently own or operate sewerage collection infrastructure in Bracknell.