Gosford City Council has applied to the NSW Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) for new water, sewerage and stormwater drainage prices from 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2017.

Council has submitted a detailed proposal outlining the fees and charges needed to cover the costs of maintaining, operating and improving the community’s water, sewerage and stormwater drainage systems.

Council’s Director of Water and Sewer Rod Williams said new prices will help Council make multi-million dollar system improvements for the 70,000 properties currently using its water and sewer networks.

“These charges cover the cost of treating over 11 billion litres of water every year and delivering it to properties through our 1,000 kilometre network of water mains.

“During this pricing period Council will be delivering major upgrades to the water supply system including a $7.9 million Somersby Water Treatment Plant upgrade that involves the replacement and renewal of assets to improve reliability, efficiency, safety and asset performance.

“Plus, there are extensive, on-going efforts to replace ageing water mains and maintain the quality of the City’s drinking water.

“The prices also ensure that more than 11 billion litres of wastewater each year is safely taken away from properties via our 1,500 kilometre sewerage network and treated to required standards.

“In the next four years over $34 million will be spent on refurbishments and renewals for aging sewerage infrastructure to maintain optimum service delivery and reduce risk to the environment and public health.

“Major upgrades will be completed at Kincumber and Woy Woy Wastewater Treatment Plants, with $16 million spent to improve the treatment process and ensure we continue treating the community’s wastewater to the required environmental standards.

“These projects are only a snapshot of the comprehensive maintenance, renewal and improvement programs that we will be undertaking to ensure the community receives quality water and sewerage services.

“We appreciate that any price increase can be a concern for residents and we will always strive to deliver services that provide value for money,” Mr Williams said.

IPART and Council welcome your contributions to the price setting process.

The community has the opportunity to comment on Council’s submission until 12 October 2012, by lodging a submission to IPART. In addition, a public hearing will be held on 12 November 2012, before IPART releases its draft pricing determination in February 2013 for further comment.

IPART’s final price determination is expected in May 2013 and new fees and charges will come into effect on 1 July 2013.

For more information about IPART’s price setting role and the proposed price increases, and how to lodge a submission go to www.ipart.nsw.gov.au.

Prices submitted to IPART

Council’s calculated water, sewerage and stormwater drainage prices for residential customers ($12/13*)

NB. These fees and charges are not the final water and sewerage prices for the period of 2013/14-16/17, rather they are Council’s calculated prices to IPART to cover existing and expected costs. IPART will issue a draft price determination report in February 2013 and a final determination report in May 2013. 

Typical residential bill based on the calculated prices

Typical residential annual bill - combined water, sewerage and stormwater drainage charges for households consuming 200kL ($12/13*)

*All monetary values are presented in real 2012/13 dollars (i.e. they do not include inflation).

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