Community panel agrees on region’s water future

BARWON Water’s Water for our Future community panel has finished its first round of deliberations, delivering its vision for the Geelong region’s water future and recommending criteria to assess water supply and saving options to achieve that vision.

The panel, made up of 52 people representing our region, met five times over seven weeks.

It heard from and asked questions of more than 20 independent experts including Traditional Owners, and specialists in the fields of climate science, national and international water policy, town planning, water research and innovation, climate economics, and environmental science.

The panel’s vision states the region’s water future is:

• A secure future where our rivers flow, our foods grow and our impact is low
• Resilient, innovative and sustainable, with abundant water from a range of sources and where we actively protect and improve water for the environment
• Ethical, healthy and responsible, with affordable and equitable access for everyone, and
• A shared responsibility, by valuing and conserving water and respecting the diverse needs of our community, cultures, and the environment.

Barwon Water managing director Tracey Slatter commended the panel for its vision and said Barwon Water was looking forward to working in partnership with the community to deliver on it.

“The vision recognises water’s central role in the environment and agriculture and everyone’s health and wellbeing. It also notes that how we use and conserve water is a shared responsibility.

“We all want our region to continue to thrive into the future. The community panel’s vision recognises having secure and affordable water for all, to meet a wide range of needs, while
protecting and caring for our environment, is a key to that.”

She said the panel’s vision was captured in its report to be published on Barwon Water’s website and marked the end of phase one of the Water for our Future program.

“As part of phase two, we will now move to use the community panel’s recommended criteria to assess water supply and saving options, including the ideas we have heard from our community.

“We have heard more than 500 different ideas for the future, ranging from making better use of recycled water, stormwater and roof water, and being more efficient with the water we use.

“We invite our community to visit our website, barwonwater.vic.gov.au/future, to learn more about the options and to have their say on which ones should be part of our water future.”

She said Barwon Water would again host a regional forum for the program today (Thursday, December 10), bringing together local leaders from across the region from government, business,

industry, youth and environmental groups, to look at potential options in more detail and provide their local knowledge and insight.

The panel will come back together for four meetings in February/March 2021.

“At these meetings, the panel will refine the options for Barwon Water to consider as we develop our next Urban Water Strategy,” Ms Slatter said.