Water Banking on the Central Coast |
updated: 20/09/07 |
Water banking is aimed at protecting employment in industries directly impacted by water restrictions.
The water banking scheme is currently available to local pool and turf businesses.
The water comes from alternative sources not suitable for drinking and the businesses pay for the water to be transported and stored. Its up to individual businesses whether they pass this cost on to their customers.
Gosford/Wyong Councils is extending its water banking program to car yards, nurseries, and landscape services. More information will be available soon.
- Information for the Turf and Pool Industries and their Customers
- What is Water Banking?
- How will Water Banking work?
- Who has access to the Water banking Scheme?
- How to get an exemption ?
Information for the Turf and Pool Industries and their Customers
Gosford and Wyong Councils implemented a water banking system on 1 September 2006 to the pool/spa installation/maintainance and turf supply industries.
This scheme is aimed at minimising loss of employment in these industries due to water restrictions.
What is Water Banking?
Gosford and Wyong Councils will implement an ongoing program of transporting water from water sources, not viable for use in the town water supply system due to the high cost, to the nearest storage dams (Mooney Mooney and Mardi dams).
Council will undertake the sourcing and transport of the water to our dams to ensure the water supply is not polluted by this process. Pool/spa companies and turf supply companies may purchase an allocation of water for:
- Filling of new pools/spas
- Topping up of existing pools after maintenance
- Watering to establish new turf lawns
Water from the purchased allocation may be taken from the town supply to carry out these activities. Council will ensure that the volume of water purchased matches the volume in water banking exemptions allocated to ensure these activities do not place additional pressure on declining storage levels in our dams.
How will Water Banking work?
Companies may purchase an allocation of water, at Council Customer Service Centres, at a cost of $5.00 per kilolitre to cover the cost of transporting water to Council's dam.
Water will also be paid for through the meter via Council's usage charge. This covers the cost of treating the water and its transportation through the town water reticulation system.
Customers of participating companies may apply, over the telephone, for an exemption from their local Council for the use of an allocated amount of water through the town water supply system.The customer of the participating company will be issued an exemption number that must be displayed on the exemption sign provided by participating companies.
The exemption is to be displayed at the property prior to water being drawn from the town water supply.
Council will monitor the amount of water purchased as well as exemptions issued against each individual company.
In the event of a company's water allocation being exhausted or overdrawn, an exemption will not be granted. The company will have to purchase a further allocation.
An exemption for filling of new pools/spas or topping up pools after maintenance will be expressed in a kilolitre volume. In the case of establishment of new turf lawns, exemptions will be expressed in terms of the amount of time that watering is allowed each day for a period of 14 days, using a hand held hose with a trigger nozzle.
Discussion with the local Turf Industry has indicated that 100m2 of newly laid turf requires one kilolitre of water per day for a period of 14 days to suitably establish the turf lawn.
Water usage will be based on a hand held hose using one kilolitre of water per hour. Calculations of the amount of time that watering is allowed to establish a new turf lawn will be based on 10m2 increments.
For every 10m2 of new turf laid, 6 minutes of watering using a hand held hose will be permitted.
A water exemption for establishment of a new turf lawn through the water banking scheme will only be approved for use before 9am and after 5pm daily.
Who has access to the Water banking Scheme?
This scheme has been implemented to minimise the impact of water restrictions on employment in the pool/spa installation and maintenance industries and turf supply industries. As such the water banking scheme is currently only available to these industries. The businesses who wish to be involved in the Water Banking scheme will be required to advise Council of their ABN when purchasing a water allocation.
Allocations purchased from either the Gosford City or Wyong Shire Councils may be used in either Council area.
How to get an exemption?
When building a new pool/spa or purchasing a new lawn, local residents should ensure that their pool/spa installer or turf supplier is part of the water banking arrangement or has access to another source of water other than the town water supply to fill the pool or spa or establish the turf lawn.
To apply for an exemption under the Water Banking scheme, the customer receiving eligible installations/services from participating companies needs to contact their local Council on the telephone numbers here between 8.30am and 4pm, Monday to Friday.
In applying for an exemption, applicants will need to supply Council with their name, address for which the exemption will apply and name of the company supplying the pool or turf. For pool filling or maintenance, the volume of water required to fill the pool must be advised to Council. For turf establishment, the area of turf and the date laid must be advised to Council.
Council will issue an exemption number, over the phone to the customer provided the company installing/maintaining the pool or supplying turf has sufficient water banking allocation credits available with Council.
Click here to download a copy of the Water Banking info sheet in Adobe Acrobat format (.pdf). You need to download a free copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader to read the document.
