Water for our Future panel holds first meeting

THE Water for our Future community panel met earlier this month for its first online deliberative forum to help inform how Barwon Water manages the region’s water security in the coming years.

The water authority’s Water for our Future program recognises the impacts of a hotter, drier climate and population growth mean we need to think differently about how we use water and where it comes from.

While water supplies are secure for now, Barwon Water’s modelling shows that by 2029, demand could exceed supply, which is why careful proactive planning for the future is required now, together with a continued focus on water efficiency and using our existing systems wisely.

Barwon Water managing director Tracey Slatter said the first task for the 60-member panel would be to develop a vision for the region’s water future and recommendations for Barwon Water to consider in its Urban Water Strategy.

“Panellists will hear from independent experts on a range of topics including water supply and demand, impacts from climate change and growth, water efficiency innovation and how the Barwon region is part of the wider Victorian water system.

“Water via the Melbourne to Geelong pipeline, for instance, has been supplementing Geelong’s supplies since March 2019. Without access to this water, Geelong’s storages would be about 13 per cent lower.”

She said a key input for the panel was considering the feedback from the thousands of people who had already contributed ideas to Water for our Future through community pop-ups, workshops, surveys and focus groups.

“Over the past year, our community has told us that they value water because it supports the health and wellbeing of our people, our environment and open spaces. They have also told us that environmental protection, including river and wetland health, is important.

“People understand the climate is changing and that we may need to have climate-independent sources of water in our supply mix. There is interest in a wide range of different sources and strong support for water efficiency.”

The panel was independently selected from across Barwon Water’s region to reflect latest census data on age, gender and location.

To ensure a broad range of community views and experiences are represented, the panel has 60 members, which makes it the largest deliberative panel to meet online in Australia and one of the largest to be held online internationally.

It will meet on 10 occasions over an 18-month period, including four meetings throughout the rest of this year. October 10 was the first full day of deliberations, following a meet-and-greet session on October 6.

The panel’s recommendations will help to shape Barwon Water’s next 50-year Urban Water Strategy, which will be finalised by Barwon Water in March 2022.

For more information on Water for our Future, head to waterfuture.barwonwater.vic.gov.au.