Dam experts partner with Wingecarribee Shire Council

The visit to the two dams 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).

Wingecarribee Shire Council Manager Water Services, Graeme Mellor, welcomed the partnership as a key step in enhancing local water infrastructure.

“This collaboration with WaterNSW, enabled by the NSW Government’s Town Water Risk Reduction Program, strengthens our ability to assess risks and improve dam safety,” Graeme said. “We appreciate the support of WaterNSW and DCCEEW in ensuring a secure and reliable water supply for our community.”

WaterNSW Executive Manager Strategy and Performance, Fiona Smith, said the site visits to Bundanoon and Medway dams is the first step in WaterNSW’s partnership with Wingecarribee Shire 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.

“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.

“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 risks and improvements to dam safety and water quality.”

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.

“This program already has plenty of runs on the board with more than 90 local water utilities receiving technical support, boosted workforce capability and training opportunities since it started, but we want to keep that momentum going which is why we’ve extended it until June 2028,” DCCEEW Director of Local Water Utilities, Jane Shepherd, said.

“We’ve teamed up with best in the business to give Councils the tools and expertise they need to continue providing clean and reliable drinking water to residents and businesses for years to come. That includes helping them to maintain their infrastructure such as dams.”

“Our friends at WaterNSW manage some of the biggest storage dams in the state so it’s great to have them working with us and passing on their knowledge to help ensure regional communities are better prepared for drought, floods and water quality challenges in the future.”

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.