Mayoral Statement - Yass Water Supply

MAYORAL STATEMENT Tuesday, 5 February 2019

When we have climatic conditions like we are currently experiencing – very hot weather and limited rainfall over an extended period of time – Yass water catchment experiences excessive levels of manganese and iron elements. The oxidization of these naturally occurring elements in the catchment are what causes the discolouration and unpleasant smell.

The palatability of Yass water is a major issue to be addressed, however in 2013 Council made the difficult decision to prioritise water security over the aesthetic appearance and taste. Raising the Yass Dam wall by 3 metres, at a cost of $22M, increased the service capacity from 7,500 people to 15,000 people, which addressed the water security needs of Yass, Bowning and Binalong but most importantly Murrumbateman, a rapidly growing village currently serviced by unreliable bores.

If Council had made the decision to address water quality, instead of water security, we may presently have better tasting water, but we would also be experiencing severe water restrictions like our neighbouring local government areas.

Council will require approximately $11M for this project; that is not funding that can be simply found. Currently, Council would be unable to repay an $11M loan using the existing water fund nor do Council believe passing on the entire expense to water users is the right solution. If we are unable to find funding from the Federal or State Governments, paying back an $11M loan will roughly equate to $235 per year, for every household with a water connection, over the 20 year life of the loan.

We understand that the current situation is not ideal for our residents or businesses but please know we are investigating all avenues for funding and we are working towards a solution.

In December 2018 Council accepted a grant of $1.2M from the Housing Acceleration Fund under the Restart NSW Program (NSW Government) to prepare a detailed design and final business case for improvements to the Yass Water Treatment Plant. This is step one towards securing full funding for this program. Council are also awaiting the outcome of our grant application for the Safe & Secure Water Program with the State Government and staff continue to investigate all funding opportunities, which will include the recently announced Federal Government National Water Infrastructure Development Fund.

With the continued hot weather and lack of rainfall Council are unable to put an exact timeframe on when the water supply will return to normal. Staff are continuing to monitor the situation and flush the system to assist with moving the discoloured/smelly water through the system.

The discoloured/smelly water seems to be occurring in pockets in the township of Yass and is not a blanket problem for all households. Council continues to stress that residents need to report discoloured and unpleasant smelling water directly to Council by calling the Customer Service team on 6226 1477. This will allow water staff to investigate further and know exactly where the issues are occurring.

Council conducts daily water quality tests (the results are publicly reported on Council’s website), with NSW Health also conducting monthly, independent testing of the water supply. The most recent sample tested on 30th January 2019 shows that the water continues to comply with the health criteria of the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines. Water quality results can be found on Council’s website: https://www.yassvalley.nsw.gov.au/our-services/water/water-quality.   Yass Valley media contact: Gill Elphinston Media & Communications Coordinator 02 6226 9232

5 February 2019

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