Latest developments affecting
the water industry as well
as updates on activities
here in the Shoalhaven

 

 

 

Currarong Sewerage Scheme construction commenced
Oct 2008

Shoalhaven City Mayor Councillor Paul Green turning the first sod on the site with David Greene of Select Civil and Director Shoalhaven Water Carmel Krogh

Work has commenced on the $14 million Currarong Sewerage Scheme with the first contract, the $10 million gravity and pump station contract, being let to the successful tenderers Select Civil.

Construction is ready to commence on the pipelines in the village itself. Shoalhaven City Mayor Councillor Paul Green met with the contractors on site to officially launch this component of the work, and is pleased to see work is underway.

“This is a huge project, not only in terms of size, but in budget and importance to the community as well,” Clr Green said. “Council has been negotiating and planning for this sewerage scheme for several years. To see the construction now beginning is a great step towards something that will be an enormous asset to the Currarong community.”

Construction on the sewerage scheme is expected to take about 16 months.

Council has appointed the Department of Commerce as the project and construction manager. The final scheme will comprise:

• A sewerage reticulation system to collect wastewater from properties in Currarong Village, including the caravan park;

• A transfer system to transport wastewater from Currarong to the existing Callala sewage treatment plant.

“Given the dry Australian climate, connecting Currarong into the Reclaimed Water Management Scheme (REMS) will provide vital irrigation to farms and recreational facilities around the region. I am pleased to see this project is in progress,” Clr Green said.

Detailed design of the sewer reticulation system, location of pumping stations and sewers has been completed. Preliminary surveys and geotechnical investigations have also been completed.

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Washing Machine Rebate Scheme
Oct 2008

From 25 November 2008 only 4.5 star water efficient washing machines will qualify for the Shoalhaven City Council Rebate. This brings the scheme into line with the NSW Government Rebate and together, will enable a total of $300 to be rebated for 4.5 or 5 star machines. A 4.5 star machine will save 14% more water than other machines.

From 1st August the NSW Government will be offering an additional rebate. More information is contained in the Special Offers section of this site

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Currarong Sewerage Scheme
Sept 2008

The NSW Government has announced that funding for the construction of the sewerage scheme for Currarong is available.

Following Council's resolution in late to 2004 to install a primarily gravity based sewerage system in the village, the design was completed on that basis.  In August 2007, the NSW Government announced that funds had been made available through the Country Towns Water Supply and Sewerage Program.  Subsequent to the funding announcement, tenders were called and a contract has been awarded to Select Civil Pty Ltd for the construction of the transportation system which includes gravity sewers, major pumping stations and transfer mains. 

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National Performance Report Card Released

Water is a front of mind issue for the community and shortages are being felt by the majority of households throughout Australia. Stringent water restrictions are now common place in most cities and towns across the nation. In its second year of publication, the National Performance Report Urban Water Utilities is the world’s most comprehensive and detailed document on the performance of urban water utilities. In it, 82 utilities report up to 150 key performance indicators and a time series of up to six years of data.

Shoalhaven Water is classified as a Non-Major Utility Large (NMU) with water connections between 20,000 - 50,000. Shoalhaven is the third largest in size within this grouping behind Power and Water – Darwin and Western Water – Victoria.

In summary, Shoalhaven is considered to have again performed at the higher end of the scale in comparison to comparative Water Utilities. A full copy of the National Performance Report is available for download from the Publications & Forms page of our website. A snapshot of the key indicators of this report and Shoalhaven Water’s performance against the National Average is indicated below;

 

Indicator

National NMU (Average)

Shoalhaven

Average Annual Residential Water Supplied

257kl

165kl

Water Main Breaks
(per 100km water main)

19

14

Water Losses
(Litres Per connection per day)

100 litres

39 litres

Sewer Main Breaks and Chokes
(Per 100km sewer main)

64

35

Average connect time to operator

16 secs

1 sec

Restrictions for non payment of water bill (Per 1,000 properties)

1.8

 

0.7

 

Legal Action
0.6
0

Net greenhouse gas emissions (tonnes C02 equiv per 1,000 properties)

640

404

Sewer overflows to the Environment
(per 100km of main)

17

26

Operating cost – water and sewerage
($ per property)

$590

$588

Total capital expenditure for water and sewerage ($ per property)

$627

$927

Percentage of population where microbiological compliance was achieved

99.3%

100%

Typical Residential Bill
(Water and Sewerage)

$743

$737 S

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New water account targets water saving
Oct 2007

The introduction of the new-look water account has had an enthusiastic response from Shoalhaven residents wanting to do more to save water. With the new tools available you can now monitor your water consumption more closely and set targets to reduce your water usage. Click here for full details of the new account and how to get the most out of it.

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2005/06 National Performance Report for Water Utilities issued
June 2007

The signatories to the National Water Initiative agreed to report on the performance of non-major water utilities independently and publicly on an annual basis.

The report is designed to;

A full copy of the report can be viewed here: www.nwc.gov.au


As a summary, the following have been extracted from the report for easy comparison:

 

 

Indicator
National Average

Shoalhaven

Water Sources

 

Water Recycling

292ml

214ml

 

Sewage Collected (Per property)

256kl

176kl

 

Average Residential Water Consumption

263kl (NSW 218kl)

171kl


Asset

 

Water Main Breaks (Per 100km water main)

15

10

 

Water Losses (Per connection Per day)

87 litres

49 litres

 

Sewer Main Breaks and Chokes (Per 1,000 properties)

16

9


Customer

 

Water Quality Complaints (Per 1,000 properties)

6

2.7

 

Sewerage Odour Complaints (Per 1,000 properties)

0.8

0.8

 

Average connect time to Operator

17 secs

1 sec

 

Average duration of an unplanned interruption to water service

131 mins

180 mins

 

Customers to which restrictions or legal action applied for unpaid accounts (Per 1,000 properties)

1.7

0.8


Pricing

 

Water Typical Residential Bill

$344

$215

 

Sewer Typical Residential Bill

$403

$515

 

Typical Residential Bill (Water and Sewerage)

$745

$730

 

Water Usage Charge

$0.80c/kl

$0.70c/kl


Environment

 

Percentage of sewage treated to tertiary level

85%

86%

 

Percentage of sewage volume that was compliant

86%

85%

 

Recycled water (% of effluent recycled)

27.60%

30%

 

Percentage of bio-solids re-used

51.60%

100%


Finance

 

Percentage of residential revenue from usage charges

55.20%

55%

 

Water operating cost (per property)

$347

$204

 

Sewer operating cost (per property)

$311

$335

 

Dividends paid

$0.73m

$2.6m

 

Community Service Obligation

$0.61m

$1.64m


Health

 

Percentage of population where microbiological compliance was achieved

99.60%

100%

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