ALMOST 4000 residents in the Peel region continue to rely on faulty septic tanks to pump their sewerage, documents obtained by the Mandurah Coastal Times have revealed.
The documents show close to 2000 homes across Falcon, Dawes-ville, Ravenswood, Waroona, Mandurah, Pinjarra and Silver Sands that do not have basic reticulated sewerage systems.
The State Government deferred these works in May last year because of “current global financial circumstances” that they said prevailed at the time.
These new revelations has prompted Canning MHR Don Randall to begin a campaign on behalf of the thousands of affected residents, to get the works completed as soon as possible.
In a meeting with residents in Coodanup last week, Mr Randall said the deferral of the works had left residents relying on septic tanks indefinitely, devices he labelled “toxic time bombs”.
Mr Randall said it was absurd one of Australia’s fastest growing regions should be forced to rely on fallible septic tanks.
“There is no question that the health of local residents and our waterways must be a priority.”
Affected residents Arthur and Carol Lane of Coodanup said while their septic tank was relatively safe underground in their newly built home, much older houses in their street where children lived were at serious risk of health problems.
The Mandurah Coastal Times revealed exclusively the plight of residents in Ravenswood last year who were being forced to pay up to $1000 to have their overflowing septic tanks pumped, with some residents reportedly pumping their tanks into their backyards or on to vacant land.
A parliamentary inquiry was told in January deadly nutrients and bacteria from these tanks was poisoning the Murray River.
Mr Randall said many unsewered homes in Silver Sands and Pinjarra were not even listed in the infill sewerage program.
But Water Minister Graham Jacobs has repeatedly said that any infill sewerage projects would only be considered as part of this year’s Budget, and not before.
Last week a spokesman for the minister said this was still the case, adding Minister Jacobs had ongoing discussions with both his federal and state counterparts.