A new era in the delivery of water and sewerage services to the Huon Valley will begin on 1 July. Huon Valley Council will officially hand over its entire water and sewerage network, valued at over $65 million, to new corporation Southern Water.
Southern Water will be owned by Local Government and will operate water and sewerage services for the 12 councils in southern Tasmania.
The handover follows a Tasmanian and Local Government agreement, under which all Tasmanian councils will transfer their water and sewerage assets, services and staff to one of three new corporations.
This reform aims to secure the long term sustainability of Tasmania’s water resources and ensure that social, health and environmental issues in all communities are addressed to ensure a prosperous future.
Huon Valley Council has worked closely with Southern Water in recent months to ensure the transition takes place with no disruption to residents connected to Council’s water and sewerage network.
“We have had some issues with the way the Tasmanian Government has handled the whole process and I still have some concerns as to how Huon Valley residents will fare under the new system,” said Huon Valley Mayor Robert Armstrong. “But it is time now to focus on the future and we have been working very closely with the Southern Water Corporation on the transition of our water and sewerage services to it.”
That future will involve a $47 million upgrade to Huon Valley’s water and sewerage network. Council has already developed a capital works program detailing how the upgrade could go ahead and presented it to Southern Water for its consideration.
The program was developed following a detailed assessment of water and wastewater infrastructure in the region and comprises a works plan for upgrades to that infrastructure.
These works have the potential to address water quality, pressure and reliability for many of the towns in the municipal area. It will also have extensive economic and social benefits for the entire region by injecting millions of dollars into the local economy and enabling sustainable development in the future.
To support the strategy, the Australian Government has committed $12 million towards the costs of upgrading the Huon Valley Regional Water Scheme.
Preliminary work has already commenced, with new pipes laid and water mains extensions undertaken in some areas. Affected residents in those areas are already benefiting, with increased water pressure being delivered to their households.
Preliminary work on one of Council’s wastewater treatment plants has also commenced, with an environmental impact assessment currently being undertaken by Council contractors. That upgrade will occur in four stages, with a completion date of 2016.
