Welcome to the first Water Directorate newsletter.

The following article was prepared for the Public Works Engineering Australia journal and serves as an introduction to the background and objectives of the Water Directorate.

The purpose of establishing a Water Directorate is to provide an independent source of advice to councils on operational matters and promote a more efficient and effective operation of local government water and sewerage infrastructure. The level of support from councils around NSW for the establishment of a Water Directorate has been overwhelming.

The NSW Local Government Water Industry Directorate has now been set up and it held its inaugural meeting on 18 December 1998, at which Mike Rayner, Director Engineering Services from Tweed Shire Council was elected chairman. There are 16 elected Executive Committee members including Mike and two appointed Executive Committee members from the LGSA.

The Executive Officer, Gary Mitchell was introduced at the second Executive Committee meeting held on 4 February 1999. Gary has civil engineering and business management qualifications and has had over 25 years experience in strategic planning, sewage treatment plant operation and construction in Sydney Water and has also gained water policy and water efficiency project experience from the NSW Irrigators' Council. Gary looks forward to meeting and working with all those involved with the IMEA and with the local government water and wastewater industry.

Gary is located at the Institute of Municipal Engineering Australia (IMEA) office in 447 Kent St in Sydney and officially commenced duties on 8 February 1998. The IMEA has contracted to provide secretariat services for the Water Directorate. As a new body, there are a number of initial tasks to complete including the review of the Interim Business Plan, preparation of a constitution and establishment of legal entity.

In addition it is important to start to address the high priority technical issues and make contact with similar organisations. In cooperation with the LGSA, the Water Directorate is preparing a set of protocols for rural water supply authorities for the management of drinking water contamination incidents. Other priority issues are load based licensing, algal toxicology assessment, the Country Towns Water Supply, Sewerage and Drainage Program, guidelines for the implementation of IPART pricing principles and consideration of the NHRMC (National Health and Medical Research Council) water testing guidelines for drinking water.

As the backlog of administrative and technical tasks are completed, the Water Directorate will quickly gain momentum in providing assistance by tapping the vast pool of expert knowledge within local government and also outside local government. The Water Directorate will issue regular newsletters to inform you of issues and achievements. Copies of this newsletter and the Water Directorate's Business Plan have been mailed out to 125 New South Wales country councils.

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