Water sample testing partnership with 12 local councils

The 12 participating LWUs are Bourke, Central Tablelands Water, Clarence, Dubbo, Gwydir, Mid-Western, Murrumbidgee, Richmond Valley, Singleton, Snowy Monaro, Snowy Valleys, and Upper Hunter.

“Local water utilities have said to us that they don’t have good information about source water quality,” WaterNSW Executive Manager Strategy and Performance, Fiona Smith, said.

”That’s why we’re delighted to work together  to collect and test these samples as part of the NSW Government’s Town Water Risk Reduction Program (TWRRP).

“Each month we’ll analyse the water samples collected from local reservoirs and rivers upstream of local water treatment plants. We will share that information with each participating council to provide an understanding of current issues in the source water and inform any management action.

“Then at the end of program we’ll put together a report of our analysis of the data we’ve jointly collected with each council. This baseline monitoring of source water quality will be a powerful tool to help each councils improve the management of local water supplies.”

Collecting and reporting on local source water quality samples is the next step in WaterNSW’s ongoing partnership with the 12 councils who are part of source water quality stream of the TWRRP, an initiative of the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW).

“WaterNSW is a national leader in the water sector, operating most of the large dams in NSW and protecting the health of the drinking water catchment that supplies the more than 5 million people of Greater Sydney,” Fiona said. “This is why our experts are well placed to help identify risks and fast track improvements to local source water quality across the State under the TWRRP.”

Water sampling resource kits

“We’ll be resourcing each council with the tools and information they need to collect grab water samples, including kits and seven new training videos for councils highlighting best practice in water sampling and safety,” Fiona said.

“The water samples we jointly collect with the 12 participating councils will be tested in labs for 15 analytes including metals, nutrients, organics and bacteria such as E. coli.

“Each monthly data set will start to build a more complete picture of local risks and trends, so that at the end of the 12-month program in June 2025, these councils will have a better understanding of what is in their waterways, including any seasonal variability.

“One of the big lessons from the most recent drought and subsequent heavy rainfall in recent years, is the water sector must collaborate more closely to build expertise and provide better access to niche skills.

“Some of those niche but critically important functions include catchment management and better ways to monitor and reduce risks at the source of water used in local town water supplies,” Fiona said.

Source water quality is a critical part of the multi-barrier approach to address risks to water quality throughout the whole of the water supply chain, from the raw water source in the catchment, water storages and transfer systems through to treatment plants and delivery systems to customers’ taps.

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.