Troubling choices loom if Murray Bridge council doesn’t build east side sewer system
Exclusive: Councillors have been told they may be forced to build household septic systems and recoup the costs, or even declare homes uninhabitable.
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Residents could be forced to pay for new septic systems or even evicted from their homes if the Murray Bridge council does not build a sewer system on the east side.
That’s the troubling advice that has been put to councillors as they prepare to decide whether to push ahead with the deeply unpopular plan.
More than 80 per cent of residents recently rejected the council’s plan for a community wastewater management system that would serve more than 500 households at Murray Bridge East and Riverglades.
But that was not the only factor at play, councillors were told at a briefing last week.
The council had a legal obligation to make sure people’s septic systems were working properly; and it knew that around 150 east side properties had systems that were on the verge of failing.
If residents with failing systems were unwilling to get them fixed or replaced, or couldn’t afford to do so, lawyer Cimon Burke said, the council would have two options:
- Step in, get new household septic systems built and recover any costs
- Evict families from households without a working system
The first option would involve significant up-front costs to the council and its ratepayers.
But the second would be almost unthinkable.
Community development general manager Deb Richardson noted that the council did not have the power to make people fix their septic systems.
“The law is really about consequences rather than forcing people to take action,” she said.
“Think about cleaning up your block (ahead of fire season) … letters get sent out, we can go through a process, and what some councils will get to if someone doesn’t clean up is, sometimes, doing the clean-up and sending people the bill.
“I can’t imagine we’re going to be going around and replacing a whole bunch of on-site water systems and sending people the bill, but what does (enforcement) look like?”
Doing nothing was not an option either, she said.
The failing septic systems would soon pose a health risk to both people and the environment.
Ultimately, building a sewer system might be the quickest, cheapest and/or most socially acceptable option, Ms Burke suggested.
Hang on – why isn’t SA Water doing all this?
SA Water is responsible for providing sewer systems in Adelaide and most large towns, and operates a system on the western side of the Murray Bridge.
But the state-owned utility has refused to consider tackling the east side project itself.
Councillor Tom Haig blamed politics.
“If the political environment was different in this electorate, and it became somewhat more marginalised, SA Water would have such a plan, albeit a five or 10 years,” he suggested.
“It’s not there now because largely we’re ignored, and have been for too long, in my opinion.”
Difficult decision looms for councillors
Councillors were not able to make any decisions at the briefing, which was held for information purposes only.
They will have to decide whether to start spending money on a design for the sewer system, or whether to abandon the idea, at their next monthly meeting.
Ms Richardson estimated that getting a detailed design done, in consultation with individual property owners, would cost around $500,000.
Councillors would then have one last chance to walk away from the project before starting construction.
LGA SA was likely to meet the $500,000 design cost, she suggested, but the council might have to repay the money if it did not go ahead with the build.
That LGA subsidy was due to run out in 2027, too.
If the sewer system were built, homeowners in the area it serves would have to pay a connection fee of around $8000, plus the cost of any plumbing work required on their properties.
The council would likely give residents a grace period of several years to connect to the system, and offer a range of payment plans.
Councillors will make their decision when they meet at 7pm on February 10.
