Experts partner with Glen Innes Severn Council

The visit to Beardy Waters Dam is part of a WaterNSW partnership with local councils under the NSW Government’s Town Water Risk Reduction Program (TWRRP) which is an initiative of the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW).

“One of the big lessons from the most recent drought is the water sector must collaborate more closely to build expertise and provide better access to niche skills outside normal local government functions,” WaterNSW Executive Manager Strategy and Performance, Fiona Smith, said.

“One of those niche but critically important functions are the five-yearly risk reviews required under the Dams Safety Act 2015 to protect local communities and dam infrastructure.

“WaterNSW is a national leader in the water sector, operating most of the large dams in NSW, which is why our experts are well placed to help councils and local water utilities identify risk and fast track improvements to dam safety and water quality.

“The site visit Beardy Waters Dam is the first step in our partnership with Glen Innes Severn Council.

“We’re delighted to have our team working alongside Council officers to advise on their next risk review of these important local dams, and to advise on other potential compliance improvement measures,” Fiona said.

Collaboration at heart of TWRRP

The TWRRP brings the strengths of major entities in the water sector, like WaterNSW, to local councils, to provide extra support to help improve water security, quality and reliability by enabling them to tap into the skills and knowledge that will best assist them.

“Collaboration is at the heart of the Town Water Risk Reduction Program. We are working hand-in-hand with local water utilities to develop solutions that will help local communities lock-in a safer, more secure and sustainable water supply,” DCCEEW Director of Local Water Utilities, Jane Shepherd, said.

“Tapping into the expertise of WaterNSW is a great example of how we are doing this. As managers of some of the biggest dams in the state, they understand the challenges of drought, flooding and water quality better than anyone else.

“This is why we have brought them onboard to provide extra support at the grassroots level to improve the way we’re monitoring water source quality to give local water utilities more time to adjust their treatment processes when conditions change.”

WaterNSW has received NSW Government funding under the TWRRP to work with LWUs on dam safety risk assessments and to help improve the monitoring of source water quality. Under the program, DCCEEW provides ongoing support and expertise, free of charge to LWUs, to improve water treatment including providing training to water operators and funding to LWUs to carry out upgrades to plants.