Eurobodalla residents can now examine Council’s plans for the shire’s second water supply storage facility.
Concept designs for the new $100 million southern water supply storage facility near Bodalla are now complete and available for the community to view.
The proposed facility is unlike a traditional dam in that it is off-stream, with water pumped to it from the Tuross River.
Pumping can be maximised in times of high flow, for example following heavy rainfall, while reduced pumping in low river flows will help sustain the natural river system.
Eurobodalla Mayor Liz Innes said the facility will have the capacity to store 3,000 million litres and will help drought-proof Eurobodalla’s water supply.
“The project was flagged back in 2003 but was put on the backburner due to the success of our water-saving programs and less-than-predicted population growth,” she said.
“However NSW Government water sharing plans, which limit the amount of water we can extract from local rivers, recently came into force, bringing forward the need for the storage facility.
“This is a change in government policy for the right reasons, but we believe both the NSW and Australian governments should support local ratepayers by providing substantial grant funding toward the new storage facility.
“We’re therefore moving ahead with the planning and design process to be shovel-ready to secure the grants needed for the project to proceed.”
Clr Innes said the plans allow for the facility to expand to 8,000 mega litres to meet future demand.
“The Tuross River already provides a source of water for Eurobodalla via a small treatment facility and direct pumping into water supply reservoirs.
“Preparing concept designs is the first step in a new southern water supply system that will eventually include a new water treatment plant and delivery system.”
Council’s northern water supply is at Deep Creek Dam, just south of Batemans Bay. Built in 1983, it holds 4,900 million litres of water pumped from the Deua River with Buckenboura River providing a back-up supply.
To view the plans and provide feedback about the proposed southern water storage facility, go to Council’s website www.esc.nsw.gov.au and search ‘southern water storage’. The closing date for submissions is Friday 27 April 2018.
