5 April 2007

IPWEA NSW ANNUAL CONFERENCE, 4 SEASONS HOTEL, THE ROCKS, 13–15 MAY

The Water Ditrectorate Executive Committee encourages member councils to support the IPWEA NSW Annual Conference. We would particularly like to see you at the Excellence Awards and the Water Stream paper presentations.

NEW VENUE FOR CivEnEx 2007, WESTERN SYDNEY INTERNATIONAL DRAGWAY, EASTERN CREEK, 16-17 MAY

CivEnEx Sydney is the official IPWEA - NSW Local Government and Public Works Engineers Field Days and follows directly on from the IPWEA NSW Conference on 16 and 17 May. Check out the latest in equipment and products for public works, property maintenance, open space management and construction. Check out the great new venue for the 52nd anniversary of the Local Government Engineers Field Days which is expected to fill more than last year’s 23,000 square meters of exhibit space. For more information please contact Event Manager Frank Sticka on 02 9716 7391 or on 0411 890 381 or see www.civenex.com and for information about buses being organised from regional NSW to CivEnEx , contact Wayne Cone at Maitland City Council on 02 4934-9609.

WATER LOSS MANAGEMENT PROGRAM UPDATE

It is very satisfying to report progress in March with 10 councils signed up to the program for investigation and leakage measurement. The local water utilities involved in the program to date are Cootamundra, Queanbeyan, Kempsey, Bega, Richmond Valley, Griffith, Wellington, Liverpool Plains, Gosford and Tweed . Under the program these utilities will be given assistance to identify and measure leakage and to develop projects to cost effectively reduce leakage and save water. The councils will then have access to financial assistance to help implement the projects and achieve water savings. One of the first locations to be given priority will be Wallabadah in Liverpool Plains Shire where they are currently trucking in water for the 200 residents. Even a small reduction in leakage there will give a significant saving in water cartage costs, and relieve demand from the water source in Quirindi. A Water Loss management Workshop will be held in Narrandera on 27 April. A flyer for the workshop has been mailed out with this newsletter to all General Managers and engineering contacts in NSW regional councils. For further information and application forms visit www.WaterLoss.lgsa.org.au or contact Mirko on 02 9242 4127 or on 0409 812 403.

UPDATE ON NSW DROUGHT CONDITIONS

NSW drought conditions improved slightly with the DPI declaring that as at March, 91.3% of the area of NSW was officially drought affected. The area of NSW classified as marginal is 5.9% and the area classified as satisfactory is only 2.8%. This is the eleventh consecutive month that the NSW drought affected area has officially been in the range of 89 to 96%.

SAFETY DAYS, SYDNEY , ROSEHILL RACECOURSE EXHIBITION CENTRE, 13 & 14 JUNE

Which local water utility team will win the inaugural Water Directorate Safety Competition at Rosehill Racecourse? A flyer was sent out in mid March with Q&A information explaining that teams of four field staff will undertake three practical components and a theoretical multiple choice question paper. The total activity time is estimated to be about 1 hour. The Executive Committee urges our 95 member councils to support this water safety initiative by entering teams in this safety competition and attending the seminars and workshops. The Water Directorate will endeavour to raise awareness and share water safety information and build on our involvement within the Electrical Safety Days at last year’s expo in Dubbo. Come and have some fun and compete against your colleagues and visit the huge safety expo.

WSAA PRESSURE SEWERAGE CODE OF AUSTRALIA WSA 07 - 2007

Two discounted copies are still available of this recently released code for member councils. Contact estanley@waterdirectorate.asn.au

FEEDBACK FROM OZWATER 2007

AWA’s OZWATER held in March was a great success, achieving record numbers of delegates and exhibitor’s booths due to the excellent efforts of the organising committee and chair Will Strachan and the current intense interest in all water related environmental issues.

INAUGURAL NSW WATER INDUSTRY OPERATORS CONFERENCE, DUBBO, 17- 19 JULY AND CALL FOR PAPERS

The Water Industry Operators Association (WIOA) is holding its inaugural NSW Water Industry Operators Conference in Dubbo on 17 to 19 July. The Water Directorate has agreed to sponsor this practical level conference in 2007 and to present the Operator of the Year Award for NSW. Please support the conference either by encouraging operations staff to enter a platform or poster paper or by allowing staff attendance as a delegate when the registration forms are sent out around mid May after the technical program has been set. The NSW Water Industry Operators Conference also features a Trade Supply expo and WIOA expects that all 60 booths will fill quickly based on current interest levels from companies. For more information please contact George Wall Executive Officer on 03 58 216 744 or 0407 846 001 or www.wioa.org.au

DEUS DESALINATION REPORT

DEUS has kindly made its desalination report, titled NSW Nth Coast & Mid Nth Coast Viability & Cost Effectiveness of Desalination DC05201 June 06 prepared by the Department of Commerce, available as a reference document. The document is especially useful with IWCM studies on the coast and is on the web at: http://www.waterdirectorate.asn.au/news/DEUSDesalReport.htm

AWA WATER & HEALTH SPECIALTY III CONFERENCE, 23-24 MAY, MERCURE HOTEL, SYDNEY .

Registrations are now open for WATER & HEALTH Specialty III Conference. A focus on health related issues arising from need to draw on a wider range of sources for drinking water as a result of the drought - groundwater, treated recycled water, brackish water. Two of the key speakers were featured on this subject on ABC Catalyst Program. Plus NHMRC Workshop on Issues for Revision of ADWG 2004. Program and registration form can be downloaded from www.awa.asn.au/events/whsc. Queries via dwiesner@awa.asn.au

STEVE POSSELT & KAYAK4EARTH

Now for something completely different from the usual items in this newsletter. Those who attended AWA’s Ozwater 07 should have noticed the yellow kayak fitted with fold up wheels and a pulling harness at the AWA booth. On the first of May after years of planning Steve Posselt will set out in that kayak on the Brisbane River to traverse several thousand kilometres from Brisbane to Adelaide via the river systems across four states. I hope to give monthly reports in this newsletter on Steve’s progress as he paddles, walks and scrambles from Brisbane to Adelaide to raise awareness of global warming and its effects on the earth and our water resources. The paddle will include the Brisbane , Bremmer, Condamine, Darling, Murray and Torrens Rivers , Lake Alexandrina , Encounter Bay and Gulf St Vincent. The uphill slog includes the Toowoomba Range and just how much overlanding vs paddling remains to be seen. This trip almost certainly hasn’t been done before but it certainly hasn’t been done with Steve’s level of passion and concern for water and the future of the planet. I wish Steve good luck and safe travelling on his mission. More next month or in the meantime go to www.kayak4earth.com

NSW CABINET RESHUFFLE

Following the election in March the new ministers of interest to the water industry are Nathan Rees replacing David Campbell as Water Utilities Minister and Phil Koperberg AO becoming the Minister for Climate Change, Environment and Water. Nathan Rees is a former senior policy adviser in the Carr govt and the chief of staff to the former Minister for Aboriginal Affairs. Phil Koperberg AO was formerly the Commissioner of the NSW Rural Fire Service. Reshuffling of departments will be reported in next month’s newsletter.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING DATES

The new Executive Committee met for the first time on 1 March and re-elected Stewart McLeod as Chair and Carmel Krogh as Deputy Chair. I look forward to working with Stewart and Carmel over the next two calendar years. Meeting dates in 2007 are 16 May, 5 July, 13 September and 8 November. Member councils are reminded that they are welcome to forward water issues to me for referral to the Executive Committee meetings. For further information about membership or any water related issue, please contact me on 02 8267 3010 or gmitchell@waterdirectorate.asn.au

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