New water treatment facilities worth $100,000 will be installed at Venus Bay and Port Kenny bore sites to improve water quality for residents and businesses.

The Elliston District Council supplies non-potable water from bores for both towns but the water has become too saline.

The council’s chief executive officer Geoff Sheridan said the ideal Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) measure for drinking water was 300 milligrams per litre but Port Kenny’s water had 3530 mg/l and Venus Bay’s 5730 mg/l.

Mr Sheridan said while residents had rainwater tanks for drinking water, the non-potable supply had become too corrosive to put through hot water systems and was so bad at Venus Bay that tourists were beginning to complain.

“To attract people to our towns we need to have a decent water supply,” Mr Sheridan said.

“The Venus Bay Caravan Park is receiving more and more complaints regarding the quality of the water and many caravaners are threatening not to visit again unless the water quality is improved.”

Mr Sheridan said the Port Kenny Hotel was trucking in its own water, about 25,000 litres from Wudinna every six weeks.

To solve the problem the council has decided to install new treatment facilities – containerised brackish water reverse osmosis systems – at bore sites to meet potable water standards.

“It is proposed that the systems be placed at the bore sites to supply the treated water through the existing infrastructure,” Mr Sheridan said.