Secure, Sustainable Water 

The October 2010 Board meeting of the Committee was advised that the our submission for Stage 2 of our Stormwater Harvest Project had to be withdrawn. As reported previously, Victorian government agencies have deemed that stormwater collected from the Yarrowee is to be regarded as recycled water and therefore cannot be returned to the potable system under current government policy.
However the Secure and Sustainable Water Task Team will draft a public response that continues to advocate wider use of harvested stormwater with a view to using green field sites like the Ballarat West Growth Zone to trial the model. At our most recent meeting with Central Highlands Water chair Jeremy Johnson and CEO Neil Brennan, CHW declared they were amenable to this approach.
The Committee continues to lobby politicians and political aspirants in the upcoming election on issues related to Ballarat and the region’s mid- to longer-term issues in water supply and use.
The most recent RTD Panel Forum spent some time discussing Ballarat’s water future, in particular the use of recycled water. The response from the audience suggested there was broad support for the proposition albeit with safety being assured. This led to a radio interview with Jon Faine and another on ABC local radio, putting the case for recycled water in Ballarat.
The Chair and CEO attended a breakfast presentation by the Min for Water Tim Holding at which the Minister demonstrated that Victoria’s water needs will be met in the medium to long term through the interconnection of pipes and the implementation of the desalination plant. A question from the Chair (CfB) on reports clearly showing there will be a threat to supply as early as 2030 due to climate change and population growth despite these measures, was met with some derision, however the Minister acknowledged that we cannot rule out the future use of recycled water in the potable supply and that the CfB should be congratulated for its efforts in both bringing the awareness of the issue to the public and for its work with the City of Ballarat on stormwater harvesting.
In response to the report of Min Holding’s presentation in the Courier, the Chair wrote a follow up Room for a View piece in The Courier on the Case for Recycled Water.
There has been little if any negative response to any of the CfB’s public positioning on the topic.  

THE NEXT STEPS
It was noted at the recent Key Issues discussion involving Executive and Corporate Gold members that the CfB risks being typecast by the public and others as being single-minded on Water to the detriment of other important issues and project areas. The Water TT will bear this in mind and develop a strategy and marketing plan that will hopefully put the issue in perspective and be seen as an important part of the overall Issues Matrix for Ballarat – not the focal point. 
 

Updated, October 12, 2010.