THE Woorinen District Progress Association has called on council to initiate
recommendations outlined in its newly adopted Domestic Wastewater Management
Plan.
Ageing infrastructure and heavy rainfall events have resulted in the
overflowing of septic tanks in recent years, causing raw sewage to spill at
several locations around the township.
President of the Woorinen District
Progress Association Barry Teal has lived in Woorinen South for the past 10
years.
He said the overflowing of raw sewage had occurred at least four times
since 2004, posing a significant health concern.
Fearing an outbreak of
mosquito-borne diseases, Mr Teal said the Woorinen community, with the
cooperation of council, established a steering committee to actively pursue the
issue almost two years ago.
While the committee has been exploring ways to
ameliorate the disposal of wastewater in the township, Mr Teal said Swan Hill
Rural City Council had made little progress since the last wastewater management
plan was endorsed in 2007.
He said residents within the Woorinen South
community were disappointed to find sections of the latest plan had been
directly lifted from the previous plan.
“What is of residual concern in our
community, is that six years have elapsed since the 2007 plan was formulated and
passed by council and no measurable progress has been made to overcome the
problem,” Mr Teal said.
For more of this story, see Friday’s Guardian (October 25).
