MidCoast Council Annual Report 2018-19

Compliance with the NSW Government’s Best Practice Management of Water
Supply and Sewerage Framework

As a Council responsible for water supply and sewerage services, MidCoast Council must
comply with the requirements of the Local Government Act 1993 as well as the NSW
Government’s Best-Practice Management of Water Supply and Sewerage Framework.

The six elements of the framework are:

1. Integrated Water Cycle Management Strategy and Financial Plan
The Best Practice Framework requires the review of our integrated water cycle management
strategy every eight years. The development of our integrated water cycle management
strategy ’Our Water Our Future’ has identified long term solutions for MidCoast Council’s
water and sewerage services in accordance with the requirements of the framework. The
draft integrated water cycle management strategy and summary document were placed on
public exhibition from 15 December 2015 until 26 February 2016 and subsequently adopted
by the board in March 2016 and then submitted to DPI Water.

2. Water conservation measures
MidCoast Council has made significant progress with regards to water conservation through
ongoing community education, engagement, and pricing. In 2017/2018 benchmarking the
average domestic usage for our region was the 7th lowest in the state and 2nd lowest of the
large (>10,000 connections) water utilities.

3. Strategic business plan
MidCoast Council Water Services’ strategic business plan ‘Future Directions 2018-2048’
adopted in 2018 complies with the timeframes and requirements of the Local Government
Act 1993 and the Best-Practice Framework. MidCoast Council Water Services has
developed and adopted a drinking water quality management system in accordance with
NSW Health regulations.

4. Drought management plan
In 2018, MidCoast Council Water Services updated its Drought Management Plan as part of
the review of the Strategic Business Plan. The plan is currently under review in response to
the current drought.

5. Pricing and regulation of water supply, sewerage and trade waste
MidCoast Council complies with these requirements through the development of its long-term
financial plan, development of servicing plans and ongoing implementation of its liquid trade
waste policy.

6. Performance monitoring
MidCoast Council Water Services submitted its Triple Bottom Line Performance Report for
2017-18 according to NSW Water Utility Performance Monitoring System requirements,
addressing economic, financial and social performance indicators, which are benchmarked
against regional NSW and other Australian utilities.

MidCoast Council Annual Report 2018-19 Page 34 of 34

PART FOUR

FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS

Council’s audited financial statements and audit reports for the year ended 30 June 2019 are
under preparation and will be presented as a separate document.

Financials contained within this report are subject to audit.