The Concerned Waterways Alliance (CWA) have submitted a response to the Essential Services Commission's (ESC) review of new customer contributions (NCC). The CWA raised concerns about the impact of NCC changes on Integrated Water Management (IWM) initiatives and the consideration of environmental and social factors in NCC frameworks. Key points include:
- Impact on IWM Initiatives:
- IWM projects aim to reduce potable water demand and protect waterways, often relying on funding from developer contributions.
- Examples from the Barwon region highlight initiatives like stormwater harvesting to protect ecosystems (e.g., Karaaf Wetlands) and provide alternative water supplies.
- CWA recommends ensuring NCC changes support IWM flexibility, especially in greenfield developments.
- Environmental and Social Factors:
- NCC should account for environmental impacts and social equity. For instance in:
- Coastal areas like Lorne face stress on water systems, warranting potentially more expensive alternative water solutions to account for holiday accommodation, which should then be bourne by that sector.
- Small towns like Meredith need better sewerage infrastructure to prevent environmental harm, suggesting broader cost-sharing mechanisms.
- Climate change increases the urgency of aligning development with water and wastewater capacity, discouraging projects in overallocated catchments.
- NCC should account for environmental impacts and social equity. For instance in:
- Terminology Change:
- CWA supports renaming "new customer contributions" to "developer charges" for clarity.
The CWA commended the ESC's efforts and emphasizes the importance of adaptive management and community engagement in addressing water challenges.