$115,000 adds water to shire's plans

THE South Gippsland Shire Council has been successful in securing grant funding of $55,000 to develop an Integrated Water Management Plan for South Gippsland.

They’ll add $60,000 of ratepayers’ money to look at what water projects are needed.

Water? Really? Isn’t that South Gippsland Water’s job.

The Council has a key role in planning for an extension to water infrastructure, to facilitate such things as residential expansion.

According to Council Plan 2022-2025, the development of an Integrated Water Management (IWM) Plan for South Gippsland is listed as a major initiative for 2022-2023.

Integrated Water Management is defined as a collaborative approach to water planning and management that brings together organisations with an interest in all aspects of the water cycle including Local Governments, Catchment Management Authorities, Water Authorities and First Nations groups.

To facilitate this style of water management, five metropolitan and nine regional Integrated Water Management Forums have been established across the state to identify, prioritise and oversee the implementation of collaborative opportunities at local and regional levels.

“At South Gippsland Shire Council, we have been an active member of both the Gippsland and Westernport Forums since 2018,” said South Gippsland Shire Council Chief Executive Officer, Kerryn Ellis

“To assist with the development of an Integrated Water Management Plan, Council applied for a grant application in 2021 from the office of the Minister for Water. This was inclusive of a number of other Council’s across the State who had similar projects in mind.

“On Thursday 23 June, we received confirmation that our application had been successful, and we would be granted the $55,000 we asked for. Council will also be contributing up to $60,000 towards the development of the Plan.”

It is anticipated that development of the Plan will occur over the next 15 months to enable comprehensive consultation with the community and key partners.

This Plan will then be used to frame the strategic justification of future Integrated Water Management project partnerships.

“This grant funding is an important part of planning for the future of our region,” Ms Ellis said.

“Water management is an increasingly important issue for our community and key businesses, and is an issues that must be considered in a plethora of situations, for example, new housing developments. Many sections of the organisation – along with key partners – will have a part to play in ensuring that this is done right.”

South Gippsland Mayor, Cr Mohya Davies has welcomed the funding.

“Securing grant funding for projects like this and other advocacy projects is vital. Sometimes, we simply cannot afford to undertake important strategic projects without it, which is a real struggle of many Councils. I would like to thank the staff for their hard work in securing this funding alongside our friends and colleagues at other Councils and with the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning. I look forward to seeing the outcome of this work.”

It will be interesting to see what projects are initiate or supported by the study.