Parents and teachers of Salt Ash Public School are breathing a sigh of relief after the Education Department came to their rescue over a massive water bill.
The school was connected to town water in the wake of the PFAS scandal, and while the Defence Department had agree to pay the water bills of affected residents and businesses, they refused to extend the same offer to Salt Ash Public.
The Education Department has now agreed to reimburse the school for the shock $6,000 bill and has agreed to pay future water bills from state funds.
Port Stephens MP, Kate Washington raised the plight of the school earlier this week, writing to the Defence Department urging them to add the school's water bills to the residential water bills they are already paying.
"While the school getting their local budget reimbursed by the NSW Education Department is a welcome win for local families, the bill should ultimately be paid by the Department of Defence whose contamination of the local bore water has caused this issue," she said
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| Port Stephens Mp, Kate Washington speaks to parents about the shock water bill. Picture: theherald.com.au |
