Media Release: Water Charge.

Clr Larry Whipper has raised concerns about the possibility of Wingecarribee Shire Councils water utilities being subsumed by Sydney water. “ Such a move would disempower the local community and have very real financial implications for all local water users.

The government believes that many Local Water Utilities face constant challenges to plan and deliver reliable services, but this does not appear to be the case in the Wingecarribee.

For many years Council have been the local water Authority and although part of the Sydney water catchment have in effect had autonomy over water and sewer services. We have been very successful I this area, in fact, in 2006 Wingecarribee Council was actually voted as one of the top ten best sewerage award recipients. This was largely due to the very expert staff management of these utilities.

There is the belief among country councils that a change is inevitable and there has been talk of our Council possibly being forced to align with Goulburn-Mulwaree or the Shoalhaven.

“Obviously our Council has concerns, particularly when this will have such a financial impost upon Councils revenue and resources. We have a strong desire to remain a stand-alone water utility in one form or another. This sector of Council’s operation is indeed very viable at the moment”. Clr Whipper said.

Sydney waters charges are also predicted to rise substantially in the future, some believe that this will be needed to fund the proposed desalination plant to sure up Sydney’s water.

“I am afraid I have become very skeptical when our State Government start talking about water reforms of this nature. Some believe it is just another attempt to legitimize their pilfering of water from the Shoalhaven and the Wingecarribee”.

“This seems like another move to cripple local rural government utilities and rope them in even further in an attempt to make sure that Sydney’s and their own political survivals are shored up, even if this is at the expense of everybody else.

“Such a move could also put our local water resources at further risk, particularly when recent reforms are opening the way for water trading rights and the potential for water shares to become an even greater reality. Under the current state philosophy, I guess we cannot even write off the eventual privatization of these utilities as well”.

“Maybe this is could explain the growing interest in the water resources of the Southern Highlands”?

Council will further debate the subject on Wednesday night.