The remote Aboriginal community of Scotdesco on South Australia's far west coast has completed a major water security upgrade, with four new water storage tanks increasing the community's storage capacity by 30 per cent.
The project marks the completion of the $650,000 Scotdesco Water Security Project, funded by the federal government, following years of concerns about the community's access to safe and reliable drinking water.
Scotdesco, which is not connected to a mains water network, has traditionally relied on rainwater collected in the community's catchment dam. The community experienced a severe water shortage in 2019 when its supply ran dry, forcing residents to rely on expensive trucked-in water.
At the time, Scotdesco Aboriginal Corporation chief executive Robert Larking said the community of about 50 people was paying around $1,400 per load of water because it fell outside the area eligible for government water carting subsidies. He warned the high costs were placing pressure on residents and prompting some families to leave the community.
The completed project includes the installation of four new 0.5-megalitre water storage tanks, along with earlier works such as new household rainwater tanks and guttering, upgrades to water harvesting infrastructure, and ultraviolet treatment systems to improve drinking water quality.
According to the government, the measures were developed in consultation with the community following its longstanding water security challenges.
Minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy said reliable access to drinking water remained a significant issue for some remote communities.
"Every Australian deserves access to clean and safe drinking water, yet for some of our most remote communities this basic essential is out of reach."
She said the additional storage tanks would help strengthen Scotdesco's water security into the future.
South Australian Senator Marielle Smith said the project addressed issues highlighted by the 2019 water crisis.
"Access to safe and clean water is something no South Australian should ever go without. But in 2019, that is exactly what the community of Scotdesco faced," she said.
"It must never happen again."
Scotdesco Aboriginal Corporation chief executive Robert Larking said the upgrades had significantly increased the community's storage capacity and created new opportunities for future growth.
"Community now has a long-term sustainable water supply; these additional infrastructure works have resulted in a significant increase in our original water storage capacity," he said in a statement.
Mr Larking said improved water security had also enabled the community to begin investigating additional housing opportunities for the first time in many years.
The Scotdesco Water Security Project forms part of the federal government's broader investment in essential infrastructure for remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
