Residents in South Australia's south east are concerned about a lack of progress in installing toilets at a popular swimming site seven months after human waste was found.
Visitors spotted human excrement near the Little Blue Lake sinkhole after a busy Easter long weekend this year.
The District Council of Grant decided in September to advocate to the state's Department for Environment and Water (DEW) for the "urgent establishment of toilet facilities" at the site.
But no toilets have been provided at the sinkhole, known for its stunning blue-green water in a paddock between two dormant volcanoes.
The Little Blue Lake is one of many sinkholes in the region that have become tourist sites. (ABC South East SA: Bec Whetham)
Local tourism operator Graham Kilsby, who raised the concerns at an April council meeting, said a toilet at the lake was still needed urgently.
"I think it is embarrassing," he said.
"It's a beautiful water course. It needs to be protected."
Graham Kilsby runs the nearby Kilsby Sinkhole as a diving and snorkelling site. (ABC South East SA: Bec Whetham)
Mr Kilsby said he was concerned about the impact urine and excrement could have on the water in the lake.
He said the lake might need a temporary toilet block over summer or they might have to close the swimming spot if the issues continued.
"None of us want that to happen, but if we can't do something soon, it [closing the site] may have to be an option," Mr Kilsby said.
Swimmers cleaning up others' mess
Nearby resident Andrea Boswerger swims at the Little Blue Lake with a friend almost every day from November until the end of May.
"It's a peaceful, tranquil, beautiful place," she said.
But Ms Boswerger said she cleaned up someone else's faeces on one occasion.
"We got in for a swim and we swam to the other side, where there's a little rock ledge, and we found a great big turd [on the ledge]," she said.
"I got my plastic bag, swam back across, collected the poop, just like a little dog's poo.
"It was a bit of a task to swim one-handed back across the lake, but I made it up to the bin."
The lake is known to get busy over summer. (ABC South East SA: Bec Whetham)
Ms Boswerger said the local council and DEW should share the costs of the toilet.
English tourist Jodie Sims visited the site with her husband while travelling between Melbourne and Adelaide.
She said having better facilities at the site would encourage tourists to spend more time at the lake.
"If there was a toilet and somewhere to get rid of the rubbish it would just make it a lot easier if we were to sit here and have our lunch here," Ms Sims said.
Some pieces of rubbish are already appearing near the lake, despite there being a bin nearby. (ABC South East SA: Eugene Boisvert)
Council waiting for response
While the sinkhole is under the care and control of the District Council of Grant, the car park is unalienated Crown land.
Mayor Kylie Boston said the council had contacted DEW about installing facilities in the car park but was yet to hear back.
She said council might consider the project during budget deliberations but could not proceed without contact from DEW.
"It competes against other things too … because if we put toilets there, that might mean that playground we can't put somewhere else," Councillor Boston said.
Mayor Kylie Boston says council is waiting to hear from DEW. (ABC South East SA: Grace Whiteside)
Cr Boston said council had not received any reports from the community about the issue other than through media reports.
She said the water was regularly tested and there was no prospect of closing the lake at this stage.
"We will continue to monitor it, and if it needs anything further we would then have those discussions," she said.
A DEW spokesperson said the department was "working with council to determine how best to manage the car park".