In Confidence WESTERNPORT WATER COMMUNITY CONSULTATION WATER PLAN 2008 – 2013
Jan 16, 2016
In Confidence
WESTERNPORT WATER
COMMUNITY CONSULTATIONWATER PLAN 2008 – 2013
In Confidence
Agenda
• Workshop objectives
• Group “rules”
• Water plan overview
• Consultation process
This workshop provides a landscape view to gain your feedback.
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Group “rules”
• You are here as representatives of your community• No right or wrong answers• Everyone must have a chance to contribute to the
discussion• All records of the group and reports will be de-identified,
i.e. individual names will not appear on any documentation
• Group duration = 2 hours
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Workshop objectives
• Gather customer feedback
• Help formalise plans for 2008-2013
• Explore in greater detail issues raised in telephone survey
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Water Plan overview
• The final Water Plan will be submitted to the Essential Service Commission (ESC) in September Covers period 2008-2013 Sets service standards Sets prices
• The ESC also expects Water Plans to detail the consultations undertaken Customers and the community Regulators
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Water Plan
• Draft Water Plan to be submitted 1 May 2007
– DSE– EPA– DHS– Open for further community feedback
• Purpose today is gather Community input towards development of the Draft Plan.
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Community Consultation Process
Development of Draft Water Plan• Telephone survey completed in March
random sample 200 customers• On-line feedback survey
Currently available www.westernportwater.com.au Open until 10 April
• Community Forums 28 and 31 March
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The Water Plan will cover
• Pricing Step tariffs Lower the service charge and raise the volumetric
charge • Water supply security
Options to improve supply Costing of these options
• Water quality Options to improve quality Costing of these options
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Water pricing
• Water pricing is made up of two components: Service charge – relating to infrastructure Volumetric charge – actual water used
• WPW is considering options for pricing that… Are fair to all customers
– Permanent – Non permanent
Consider affordability issues Support customer awareness of water usage Recovers enough to run the business
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Water pricing - issues
• Customer base 60% non permanent residents 40% permanent residents
• Pipes and pumps sized for peak Underutilised for majority or year
• Need to recover full cost plus future cost
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Water pricing - options
Option 0 – Status quo Service charge with volumetric charge
Option 1 - Step tariff structure with affordable first tariff block• This system would result in high water users paying a higher
premium for water• This structure would only apply to domestic customers, not
commercial who are often higher water users
Option 2 - Lower the service charge raise volumetric charges• Applies to domestic and commercial/ rural customers• Overseas experience is that low-income households are
much more likely to have below average water consumption
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Water pricing options –customer feedback
What do you think?• How do you rate Option 0?• How do you rate Option 1?• How do you rate Option 2?
1 = Poor - 10 = Excellent
• What are the advantages of Option 1?• What are the advantages of Option 2?• Are there any other options WPW should consider?• Which option do you prefer?
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Water supply security
Managing supply demand balanceDemandSteady at 2000 Ml
Water SupplyCertainty
Now Very uncertain
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Water supply security - options
WPW is considering 4 options to secure the water supply
1. Continue to use our current reservoir (Candowie Reservoir) with groundwater and the Bass River
2. Extend Candowie Reservoir – in the short term
3. Extend Candowie Reservoir – in the long term
4. Melbourne Water connection
Note: All of these options will come with a cost to the consumer
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Water supply security - options
Option 1 – continue to use Candowie reservoir with groundwater and the Bass River
• Involves obtaining… 1.6 Gl from aquifer 1 Gl from Bass River
• Environmental impact• Reliability of bore uncertain• Relies on rainfall
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Water supply security - options
Option 2 – Option 1 plus extend Candowie Reservoir In the short term this would yield an additional 500Ml
Option 3 – extend Candowie Reservoir Double the Reservoir capacity Raise the reservoir wall Cost: $15 Million Additional land would need to be purchased 10% increase in accounts
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Water supply security
Option 4 – Connect to Melbourne 2200 million litres per year Pipeline and pumping Relies on water availability Slow recovery of Melb system Large scale desalinisation possible
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Water security supply – customer feedback
Which option do you prefer?
Why?
What do you think?• How do you rate Option 1?• How do you rate Option 2?• How do you rate Option 3?• How do you rate Option 4?
1 = Poor - 10 = Excellent
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Water Quality - background
In the telephone survey…• 66% said taste was the main aspect WPW should focus
on but • 67% did not want to pay for improvement
WPW is considering 3 options to improve water quality
1. Improve the treatment process.
2. Increase the levels of flushing and pipe cleaning
3. Provide and maintain filters at customers houses
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Water Quality - options
Option 1 – Improved treatment• Capital works • Improves water quality entering system
Option 2 – Flushing and pipe cleaning• Removes stale water from system• Increases customer interruptions
Option 3 – On-site filter• Optional for customers who are willing to pay• WPW maintains filter• Removes taste and odour
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Water Quality - customer feedback
• Are they viable options?• Do you have a preference?• Would you support any of these initiatives if they resulted in a
price increase?
What do you think?• How do you rate Option 1?• How do you rate Option 2?• How do you rate Option 3?
1 = Poor - 10 = Excellent
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