> River Murray > About the River Murray > Visiting the River Murray and Coorong

River vessel waste disposal stations

River vessels are a wonderful way of experiencing all the River Murray has to offer but with many public and private water supply intakes located along the River Murray, waste produced by these vessels pose a risk to river health and local water supplies, and can even result in the spread of infectious diseases.

These dangers can be avoided by properly disposing of houseboat wastewater at any of the river vessel waste disposal stations located along the River Murray in South Australia.

Waste disposal station locations

There are 13 public river vessel waste disposal stations provided at regular intervals along the River Murray in South Australia. The stations are generally located 50 km apart, spanning 650 km between Lock 6 (downstream of the New South Wales border) and Goolwa. River vessel operators can dispose of their waste at these public stations free of charge.

The public stations are designed to cater for vessels up to 20 metres in length, with weight allowances varying between individual stations as below:

Vessels up to 20 metres in length and/or not exceeding 20 tonnes
- Murray Bridge
- Mannum
- Lock 6
Vessels up to 20 meters in length and/or not exceeding 50 tonnes
- Goolwa
- Walker flat
- Swan reach
- Blanchetown
- Morgan
- Waikerie
- Lock 3*
- Loxton
- Berri
- Renmark

*The waste disposal station at Lock 3 was decommissioned in January 2020, however general waste (domestic or galley waste) can still be disposed of at the station. A wastewater pump-out service truck can also be arranged, at no cost to users, by contacting the phone number listed at the Lock 3 station.

In addition to the 13 public waste disposal stations, there are 6 private marina waste disposal facilities, which may be available to the public by negotiation and may incur a fee.

Types of waste accepted

River vessel waste disposal stations are available for the disposal of 3 types of vessel waste:

black water (waste from toilets and urinals)
grey water, such as water that has been used for washing, laundering, bathing or showering
general waste (recycling and rubbish generated whilst on board, excluding hard rubbish such as whitegoods and furniture).

Operating instructions

For information regarding general berthing and station operation instructions, please download our River vessel waste disposal stations information booklet or watch the below short videos.

Improper use or breakages may incur fines, so please follow the operating instructions displayed at each station carefully.

If you run into any problems or require further assistance, call the Waste Disposal Service hotline on 1800 799 065 and follow the prompts. You will need to know the name of the station you are located at.