The Hydrosphere report to Byron Shire Council predicts that it is cheaper for Mullumbimby to buy all its water from Rous than to reconfigure the town’s existing local water supply.
Reconfiguration would entail the addition of an off-stream storage so that water is only taken from Wilsons Creek in wet times. It is left flowing in the creek in dry times.
For the current financial year 2024/25 Rous is selling bulk water to its four Councils at $2.34 per kilolitre. Hydrosphere’s report predicts that Mullum will need 580 megalitres in 2025, rising to 745 ML in 2050. Average usage over that period will be about 670 ML per year.
At that annual consumption rate and at the current price, purchasing from Rous would cost $1.57m per year. That means that 30 years of Rous water for Mullumbimby would cost Council a total of $47m of today’s money.
This is very different from the cost of $21m used so far to convince Councillors that Rous is a cheaper option than keeping Lavertys Gap.
Council’s Advisory Committee is asking Council not to switch to Rous on 15 August and instead to get a proper assessment done of the off-stream storage option. It looks like we also need a proper economic analysis of the Rous option.
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