Byron Shire Council is once again turning its attention to the highly contentious issue of how to provide Mullumbimby with a sustainable, long-term water supply.
Seven months ago, the newly-elected Council reversed an earlier decision by the previous Council to abandon the town’s reliance on its local weir at Lavertys Gap (Wilsons Creek) in favour of connection to the Rous County Council (RCC) water supply which serves the rest of the Shire.
A majority of the new councillors argued that the process underpinning the decision to connect to RCC was methodologically flawed, and failed to properly consider the wishes of the community.
They voted to defer the decision for two years to allow for further investigations and community consultation, while addressing the ongoing risks to the Lavertys Gap weir.
The issue of how to provide the town with reliable, high-quality drinking water certainly hasn’t gone away, and Council staff have now begun the unenviable task of putting together a new decision-making process that they hope will tick all the boxes.
Evidence-based recommendations
The key goal, according to a report that came before Council last week via the Water and Sewer Advisory Committee, is to, ‘provide Council with evidence-based recommendations for deciding on a long-term water supply strategy for Mullumbimby’.
This process will involve a, ‘revised and updated options investigation’ including, ‘off-stream storage and a hybrid solution with Lavertys Gap and Rous’.
The new decision-making framework will also reportedly be informed by, ‘direct community input’ and, ‘robust financial modelling’ – something which critics of the Rous decision argued was seriously lacking.
Actions to achieve these goals include community surveys and workshops, net-present-value financial modelling to measure impact of shortlisted options on Council and ratepayers, and ongoing community engagement to support transparency and shared understanding.
Another key difference between the new process and the previous one is the inclusion of a new ‘hybrid’ water supply option.
This new option involves the combined operation of an upgraded Lavertys Gap supply and Rous regional water supply.
This option, which is said to offer, ‘enhanced water security and operational flexibility’, may involve the downsizing and/or relocation of the Mullum water treatment plant to reduce risks associated with extreme weather, treatment performance and regulatory compliance.
However, staff noted that this option and others being considered, ‘may exceed Council’s and the community’s capacity to fund it (via rate increases)’.
This, ‘risks the long-term condition of water provision assets and levels of service to the community’.
Bank erosion issues
The report noted that Council’s Utilities Department, with the support of NSW Public Works, was undertaking actions to address bank erosion issues that put at risk the weir’s structural integrity, and consequently, its storage capacity.
The key focus was on condition monitoring until final remediation works can be done.
It further noted that, following advice from NSW Health, Council staff were investigating, ‘operational controls and treatment process upgrades to manage non-compliance risks at the Mullumbimby water treatment plant (WTP)’.
‘These risks relate to the high-risk nature of the Wilsons Creek catchment and the design and end-of-life condition of the WTP, and might trigger boil water alerts if advised by the regulator.’
More information about the decision-making process for a new permanent water supply for Mullumbimby can be viewed in the agenda to the April 17 Water and Sewer Advisory Committee meeting.
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