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Local Councils tap into Community Water Grants

Local Governments will be able to save water, help their communities and cut their water bills thanks to the Australian Government’s Community Water Grants, the Minister for the Environment and Heritage, Senator Ian Campbell and the Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation, Senator Ian Macdonald said. The Prime Minister, John Howard, officially launched the program on World Water Day in March with the Hon Gary Nairn MP and Mayor Roger Norton of Cooma-Monaro Council in attendance.

The Community Water Grants are a part of the $2 billion Australian Government Water Fund and provide grants of up to $50,000 for community organisations to put in place practical, on-ground solutions to either help save water or improve the health of the local waterways. In some instances the grants can be combined to provide grants of a larger scale to community-based Non-Government Organisations.

To lead the way, a ‘demonstration’ stage has begun involving 27 grants worth over $1 million. Senator Campbell and Senator Macdonald announced that eight Councils will receive up to $50,000 each in the Community Water Grant demonstration round. Already, these funds are making a difference to local communities. The financial support pours straight to community groups to help them take real actions to improve the quality and availability of water in their area. As a result, community, schools sporting groups, voluntary organisations and Local Governments are thinking hard about how they can make a difference.

Inspiration can be drawn from Cooma-Monaro Council, which received $50,000 under the Community Water Grants programme to help the town of Nimmitabel source its own water supply. The local community was congratulated by Prime Minister John Howard for its proactive approach to the issue of water.

“I congratulate the community groups who are implementing these projects for their commitment to finding solutions to their own, local challenges,” Mr Howard said.

The $50,000 will help the 250 residents of Nimmitabel to meet its domestic water needs without carting water from Cooma. This will save more than 4.1 million litres of water each year. It will also reduce the town’s water use by 24 per cent – saving the equivalent of more than 100 semi-trailer tanker loads of water each year. The town will achieve these savings by providing an effluent re-use system at the town’s wastewater facility, connecting public facilities to water tanks, auditing the way households use water, subsidising the costs of installing residential rainwater tanks, and retrofitting building with dual flush toilets and water efficient shower roses.

Other Councils in NSW to benefit from the demonstration stage include Ballina Shire, Nari Nari Tribal Council, North Sydney and Lismore. Ballina Shire Council will use its $50,000 to help install a reclaimed water irrigation system and associated pump station for the re-use of effluent. The reclaimed water will be used to irrigate the local sporting grounds, saving 30 million litres of potable water each year.

The Nari Nari Tribal Council plans to spend its $48,800 to help revegetate about 14km of Murrumbidgee River riverbank, by replacing riparian species lost through a history of logging and overstocking and by helping to slow or stop riverbank erosion. A trial wetland will also be established.

In the city, North Sydney Council will invest its $49,412 into installing a rainwater harvesting system to flush toilets at the North Sydney Community Centre, saving two million litres of water each year. Council will also convert toilets to dual flush cisterns and waterless urinals, and install triple-A rated appliances and shower fittings.

Further north in Lismore, the City Council will receive $43,000 to incorporate water sensitive urban design features into the Goonellabah Sport and Leisure Centre. The project will save more than 100,000 litres of water each year by harvesting rainwater and using it to flush toilets and irrigate gardens, by installing three waterless urinals, and by installing a Hydrapave paving system in the carpark to treat and divert stormwater runoff.

Up in the Top End, the Alpurrurulam Community Government Council will benefit from $49,889 which will help install rainwater tanks on community buildings for drinking water and a grey water re-use system to provide irrigation for shade trees, gardens and fruit trees. The funds will also help to use treated sewerage water to irrigate a trial cash crop using underground soakers.

In Victoria, the City of Boroondara will receive $42,147. This will help to replace 15 full flush toilets with dual flush toilets and seven water flushing urinals with waterless urinals at public facilities, saving 789,000 litre of water each year. The funds will also help kick start a community education program.

Finally, over in South Australia, the City of Mitcham is doing its bit for water conservation with the help of $49,740. The funds will help save 275,000 litres of mains water and mitigate flooding of Bailey Reserve by installing a 31,500 litre underground tanks to collect rainwater from two sporting clubs. The rainwater will then be used to supply water for toilets. While these Councils are early beneficiaries, all local communities with a water wise vision can follow the lead of the 27 demonstration projects and put forward their practical plan of action and apply for Community Water Grants during the June grant round.

Registrations of interest can be lodged at www.nrm.gov.au/water-fund or free call 1800 780 730.

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