Jenny Bellinger, Lin Simpson
Landowners in the township of Pioneer have been put on an impossible deadline to complete paperwork for TasWater’s plan to provide proper drinking water.
Drinking water sold by TasWater to Pioneer residents is contaminated with unsafe levels of deadly heavy metals including lead.
TasWater is authorised to provide proper drinking water to paying customers and recently delivered a community tank for residents to obtain safe water for cooking and drinking.
Recently TasWater provided a pamphlet to property owners outlining three options to address the contaminated drinking water problems in Pioneer. One option provided for No Change, the other options provided for water tanks and either remaining on contaminated reticulated water or cut off from it.
The option that residents demand is for water to be piped from the Cascade Dam which will provide a safe and reliable source of household water for Pioneer.
Pioneer is an old mining town with typical small cottages with a small roof area unlikely to provide enough catchment for even a small family. Tasmania’s north east region has often suffered many extreme dry periods with insufficient rain to provide for household water use from rainwater tanks.
Pioneer landowners consider it unacceptable that both of TasWater’s options leave the community responsible for safe drinking water being trucked in from Scottsdale at great cost to residents.
Residents are disappointed with TasWater’s continuing disregard for a proper community consultation process on an issue that is an essential part of life.
