Urban Water
Strategic Planning and Management
Best practice strategic business planning and management is essential for efficient and sustainable management of water resources and the environment. It enables a local water utility to achieve sustainable water supply and sewerage businesses and to comply with National Competition Policy and the National Water Initiative.
The Department of Water and Energy facilitates best practice planning and management by local water utilities to achieve affordable, cost-effective and well managed water supply and sewerage services in urban areas of country NSW which meet community needs, protect public health and achieve sustainable environmental outcomes while making best use of regional resources.
Facilitating this process are the comprehensive Best-Practice Management of Water Supply and Sewerage Guidelines. These Guidelines are the key driver for reform of planning and management and for continuing performance improvement by each local water utility. Originally released in 2004, the Guidelines were updated in August 2007 and local water utilities are now required to comply with the Guidelines by June 2009.
Demonstrated best practice management is a prerequisite for payment of a dividend from the surplus of a local government water utility's water supply and sewerage businesses and for financial assistance under the Country Towns Water Supply and Sewerage Program.
There are six criteria, each of which must be complied with to qualify for a dividend payment. These are:
- Strategic Business Planning
- Pricing and Developer Charges (including Liquid Trade Waste Approvals)
- Demand Management
- Drought Management
- Performance Monitoring
- Integrated Water Cycle Management.
Local water utilities that demonstrate best practice management by achieving the outcomes required by these guidelines will have an effective and sustainable water supply and sewerage business.