Presented by Robert Clark MP		www.robertclark.net

Better water for Ballarat

Thames Water (Australia) Pty Ltd has won a $50-million contract to supply Ballarat and some surrounding townships with world-class drinking water.

Work on the major filtration plants will begin almost immediately under the BOOT (build, own, operate, transfer) contract.

The Central Highlands Water Authority project is one of the first non-metropolitan water BOOT projects and is an important part of the Government’s $450-million regional water-reform package that includes upgrading the quality of water supplies.

The scheme involves no additional charges on consumers.

In fact, the water reform package has delivered significant price reductions, water costs falling by an average 18% across the Central Highlands region last year, a saving to the community of about $4.8 million.

The Ballarat project is the single biggest investment ever made in the district to ensure a cost-effective supply of safe and reliable water that met or exceeded Australian and international standards.

The new filtration plants are expected to be fully operational by the middle of next year resulting in water of a more consistent quality and that looks clearer and tastes better.

The BOOT approach will allow the authority unprecedented access to the latest in international water-filtration expertise and knowledge.

Thames Water will be responsible for the design, finance, statutory approvals, construction, commissioning and maintenance of the plant for 25 years. At the end of that time, all facilities will be transferred to Central Highlands Water.

The company will also assume responsibility for managing several existing water storage tanks from July this year, and will also be required to build a new water storage tank north of Ballarat and improve other services to meet the growth in demand.

(News Release, Office of the Deputy Premier and Minister for Agriculture and Resources, April 26, 1999)