The South Australian Government will commit $4 million per annum to help councils build wastewater treatment systems.
The $47 million funding agreement will allow regional communities to access new community wastewater management systems.
The Minister for Local Government Geoff Brock and Local Government Association (LGA) President Lorraine Rosenberg co-signed the partnership agreement, which commits $4 million of state government funds indexed annually to the program.
The program supports councils to build modern wastewater treatment systems that address critical public health and environmental needs, and provide the necessary infrastructure for those communities to pursue economic development opportunities.
The funding allows councils to deliver the service at a cost equivalent to that which SA Water users pay.
The CWMS program provides funds to the LGA to support the installation of new communal wastewater management systems in regional towns where urban sewer systems are not provided by SA Water.
Local Government currently operates 172 community wastewater management systems in 45 councils and authorities across the state.
Over the past decade, the state government has allocated more than $38 million with local communities contributing more than $20 million since the inception of the current funding agreement in July 2008.
The combined $58.5 million state government and community investment in the CWMS over the past decade has resulted in more than 3000 connections to 11 new wastewater treatment facilities in South Australia.