Karen has lived in Kenwick for 40 years. She remembered being told that deep sewerage was just five years away.
Four decades later, she’s still waiting and her patience, like her leach drain, is wearing thin.
“I cried when I saw the announcement on the news in May last year,” she said.
“We thought, finally. But we’re still being let down. Another winter is here, and we don’t even know if we’ll be able to shower or flush the toilet at home.”
For Karen and many others in the suburb, the delay isn’t just an inconvenience, it’s a deep personal and financial burden.
Ongoing maintenance of ageing septic tanks, the smell, the overflows during heavy rain, and the embarrassment of asking guests not to flush are just part of the reality. On some days, she and her husband have to go to their daughter’s house to shower.
On others, they use the laundromat.
Residents were hopeful when the Water Corporation announced in 2023 that the Kenwick wastewater pipeline would finally begin. The $55 million project was supposed to bring sewerage connections to homes, making it easier for infill development, easing health concerns, and bringing long-overdue infrastructure to the area.
But more than a year later, Stage one of the project is still awaiting final approvals.
The Water Corporation said it’s due to the complexity of building under major transport infrastructure, including Albany Highway and the Kenwick train station.
In a statement to the Examiner Newspapers, the Water Corporation said the project is part of the WA Government’s Strategic Infrastructure Program and is designed to support urban development around key transport hubs.
Stage 1 will involve building a 455-metre pipeline using trenchless technology, but it still needs the green light from transport agencies before contractor procurement can begin.
Stage 2, which will bring pipes into local streets and connect properties to the central system, remains in the design phase.
The agency insisted the delay isn’t due to the prioritisation of other suburbs and thanked Kenwick residents for their patience.
But residents like Karen and local advocate Simone Perkins are growing tired of being patient.
Simone, who leads the Kenwick Infill Sewerage Action Group, said the community feels overlooked, especially as sewerage projects in wealthier suburbs like Cottesloe appear to be moving ahead more quickly.
“This was meant to be urgent,” she said.
“But we’re told the same thing over and over again, and nothing changes.
The Water Minister said the community should be kept informed, yet the website hasn’t changed in months, and the project is still ‘in planning’.”
In April 2024, the Water Corporation told residents the design for Stage 1 was nearly complete and that works were expected to start in the second half of the year.
More than 12 months later, there is still no start date.
Water Minister Don Punch acknowledged the concern and thanked local MLA Ron Sao for raising the issue.
“I expect that Water Corp is working hard to progress these urgent works to deliver a high-quality, long-term solution for the Kenwick community,” he said in a written response.
Karen said the uncertainty is exhausting.
“If ministers change, the plan should still go ahead. We are sick of being made to wait while they shuffle things around. It’s always us that gets left behind.”
Despite multiple letters, emails, and public pleas, the people of Kenwick still don’t have what many in Perth take for granted: a flush that works every time, rain or shine.
Residents said they are not asking for luxury, just a sewer system that works.
