The Kangaroo Island Council at its August meeting discussed the redesign changes to SA Water’s desalination plant expansion at Penneshaw.
Work on the project has halted while local residents negotiate a redesign with SA Water with the help of a facilitator appointed by the state government.
Steve Dangerfield is the appointed facilitator and worked as a senior manager in stakeholder engagement at SA Water from 2006 to 2016.
Checks on the integrity of Phase 1 of the new desalination pipeline from Penneshaw to Baudin Beach also continue.
The council at its August 9, 2022 meeting passed a motion that council noted SA Water’s design changes.
These changes reposition the plant further south by an additional 10 metres. There is also the need to excavate an additional 1.5 metres to assist in mitigating visual and other concerns raised.
Council supports desalination plant with ongoing consultation
The council reaffirmed its support for the project to SA Water with the proposed design changes, noting that further community consultation is continuing by SA Water on related issues of noise, lighting and amenity.
Also at its August meeting, councillors voted to appoint clr David Mepham as the council’s elected member representative to the SA Water Design Sub-Committee for the period of the current elected member term.
The council also appoints new director of works and infrastructure, Jon Herron, as the council’s officer on the sub-committee.
The KI Council will be in caretaker mode from the September meeting onward.