Eurobodalla Council is preparing its water supply ahead of summer, with additional storage, closer monitoring and plans to manage dry conditions, holiday demand and unexpected disruptions.
Councillors received an update at their information session on Tuesday 20 October, covering drought preparedness, bushfire risks and the next steps for the southern water treatment plant.
Council’s current treatment capacity can meet demand. The northern water treatment plant can produce 21 million litres a day, compared with average demand of about nine million litres. Demand increases during summer holidays and prolonged dry weather.
Eurobodalla Council’s manager of water and sewerage infrastructure services Sarah Lunau said every drop still counts.
“Residents can help save water around the home by taking shorter showers, water gardens with a handheld trigger hose or watering can early in the morning or late in the afternoon, wash vehicles by bucket on lawns, only flush pee, poo and toilet paper – not wipes or anything else – because cleaning sewer blockages uses a lot of water,” Ms Lunau said.
She encouraged residents to start with one small change this National Water Week and keep it going through summer. Find practical tips on Council’s website by searching ‘save water at home’.
At the time of the briefing’s preparation, Deep Creek Dam was 98 per cent full and the new southern storage dam near Bodalla was 41 per cent full.
Dam levels are only part of the picture. Council also monitors river flows, water extraction limits, customer demand, water quality and seasonal forecasts to guide its drought response.
Council has also increased leak detection and is prioritising maintenance and improvements to digital metering that identifies water losses.
“We’re also reviewing the triggers for water restrictions and preparing community information should conditions deteriorate,” Ms Lunau said.
The southern storage dam provides additional security for the community’s drinking water supply. Water stored in the dam is not supplied to farmers for irrigation.
The benefit to downstream irrigators comes from how Council harvests river water. Pumping into storage when river flows are higher reduces pressure on the Tuross River during low-flow periods. Council is managing harvesting while the dam fills to assist downstream irrigators.
The existing southern water treatment plant remains offline following a review of Council’s drinking water management system. Ms Lunau said planning was underway to return it to service.
“We are going to bring the current plant back online while we design and build a new plant with funds in our 10-year water budget,” Ms Lunau said.
“We’re aiming to have a concept design by mid-2027 and detailed design by late 2028. Construction is planned to start in late 2029, with the new plant ready to operate by late 2031.
“The design work will help us understand how much water the community will need in future, how much the plant needs to treat and the most cost-effective way to build it.”
In the meantime, Council has installed additional pumps so a reservoir previously supplied only by the southern water treatment plant can now receive water from the northern supply.
This makes an extra four million litres of storage available in the southern supply area, providing a greater buffer during water main breaks, treatment outages and other disruptions.
“A formal high-demand response plan is also in place for holiday peaks, major infrastructure failures and emergencies such as bushfires,” Ms Lunau said.
Council is also helping residents prepare their properties for summer with another free green waste drop-off period.
From Monday 2 November to Sunday 15 November, residents can take green waste to Council’s Surf Beach, Moruya and Brou waste facilities free of charge, providing another opportunity to clear garden cuttings and vegetation before summer.
