WATER is the lifeblood of New England and the Namoi Council Joint Organisation (NCJO) is preparing to tell a NSW upper house committee how vital the resource is to the region.
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The committee is holding an inquiry into water augmentation in rural and regional NSW and features a number of NSW political heavyweights, such as Labor’s Penny Wong, the Greens’ Jeremy Buckingham and Robert Brown from the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party.
The comprehensive 18-month inquiry will look at demand and supply, the suitability of existing water storages, flood risks and technologies to mitigate flood damage.
The committee will also consider the social, economic and environmental aspects of water management practices in NSW.
Namoi Council Joint Organisation executive officer Stephen Bartlett said he is preparing a submission for the committee.
“We’re also planning to invite them to hold a public hearing in the region if they’re interested,” Mr Bartlett said.
“One of the things we will be pressing upon them is the vital nature of water to all the councils.
“Every council is interested in strategies to conserve our water and better utilise it going forward in the face of global warming.
“The other issue is the price of water – the Peel Valley has one of the highest prices of water in the state. That’s not only for irrigators, but for Tamworth Regional Council and their ratepayers as well.”
Mr Bartlett said the NCJO submission would provide a “regional perspective” on the various water issues, while any council submissions would focus on the individual issues of that council.
“I think it’s such an important issue, all the councils will probably make a submission,” he said.
The Leader understands Tamworth Regional Council is in the process of referring to the inquiry’s terms of reference.
The committee is accepting submissions until June 19.