Yass, Boorowa residents spend thousands on bottled water despite election promises to fix problem

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-12-12/yass-boorowa-residents-buy-bottled-water-health-concerns/ Dec 12 2023

A short drive from the nation’s capital, a water supply described as smelling like “rotten socks” is forcing residents to spend thousands of dollars a year on bottled water.

Located less than an hour from Canberra on the southern tablelands, Yass has been plagued by issues with water quality, resulting in an election promise by both major parties in 2019 to spend at least $10 million upgrading the nearby water treatment plant.

However, according to the former coalition government, concerns about the cost of the $10 million project blowing out meant only $2.5 million was provided for an upgrade to the plant, while a business case was prepared.

But despite the upgrades made to the treatment station, issues remain with the water quality.

A study conducted by Yass Valley Council found 85 per cent of survey respondents in the area did not drink tap water.

After living in the town for five years, Gail Reid believed “people shouldn’t have to put up” with the supply issues.

“It is putrid, the colour of it, the smell is like rotten socks,” Ms Reid said.

“I want my grandkids who live in Yass to be able to drink water and not have to bathe in brown water.”

Instead, Ms Reid spends $40 a week buying bottled water for cooking and drinking, which is putting increasing pressure on the retiree.

New South Wales Water Minister Rose Jackson has been contacted for comment.

Health concerns

At nearby Boorowa, there are considerable concerns about the town’s water.

Before living in the small town, Angus Mitchell never had an issue with his skin.

But after nine years in the region, Mr Mitchell said his skin breaks out in rashes after showering.

“If you can’t drink it, what’s it doing to your body when you wash?”

A report to Hilltops Council identified that the town’s treatment plant was unable to reduce hardness in the water and dissolve solids and chlorine, resulting in the supply regularly exceeding the aesthetic tests for the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (ADWG).

The study concluded that only 18 per cent of locals in Boorowa drank the tap water, with the rest relying on bottled water and rainwater.

Hilltops Council has been contacted for comment.

With the treatment plant unable to remove hardness in the water, residents have reported having to replace appliances less than two years after purchasing them.

Resident Leanne Corcoran said, like many in the town, it had cost her hundreds of dollars to regularly replace pipes and appliances destroyed by the water.

“It is pretty third world considering we are so close to Sydney and Canberra.”

Guidelines and data

A study by the Australian National University (ANU) found more than 400 regional and remote communities did not have access to good quality drinking water across the country.

The study assessed water quality performance against the ADWG.

According to Paul Wyrwoll at the ANU Institute for Water Futures, more than 620,000 people’s town water failed in the ADWG’s aesthetic tests, which assesses taste, smell, and colour.

Dr Wyrwoll said while this did not necessarily pose an immediate risk to residents’ health, it did raise concerns over the livability of regional towns affected particularly along the Darling River.

“Households simply don’t trust the water coming out of their tap. They are afraid to bathe their children or drink the water.”

Dr Wyrwoll said in NSW there was no requirement for water services to provide public reports, resulting in shortfalls with how drinking water quality data was collected.

“We don’t have any national data water collection system, and there are big gaps in monitoring and reporting,” he said.

“That means for 1.2 million people living in regional NSW, they don’t know what’s in their tap water.”