Narrabri chosen as venue for state water management conference

Narrabri will be the focus of the state’s local councils’ water management issues in July when hundreds of delegates arrive for the 2020 Local Government NSW Water Management Conference.

Securing Narrabri as venue for the big annual conference is a feather in the cap of the Narrabri Shire Council.

Council initiatives in water management, plus the attraction of The Crossing Theatre as venue, were compelling reasons for organisers to choose Narrabri for the event.

More than 200 delegates from across NSW and interstate will spend two days or more in Narrabri, utilising accommodation and services across the shire and spending locally.

Delegates will include councillors, general managers, water managers and professionals, policy makers from government industries and key industry stakeholders.

Narrabri’s success in winning the conference is a recognition of the council’s achievements in delivering several innovative and successful water projects to the shire.

“And an important factor is the venue we can offer a large national conference – The Crossing Theatre” said acting Venue Manager Paul Shelley.

To secure the event, the Council prepared a detailed submission in July, 2019.

Local Government NSW indicated it received ‘a number of high quality expressions of interest’ to host the conference, which is being held from Wednesday 15 to Friday, July 17.

Bids were thoroughly assessed against a rigorous selection criteria.

The 200-plus conference delegates will have the opportunity to find out about the latest water policy initiatives and trends, receive updates on emergent technical issues, benchmark, network and further their professional development and team building capacities.

“Council has been advised that our application to host the event provided great facilities and program content for the conference,” director infrastructure delivery, Mr Darren Raeck said.

“This will be a great opportunity to showcase the Narrabri Shire and the many innovative projects Council’s water services team has been involved in lately such as automatic meter reading devices, the Baan Baa water supply, the $14.18 million Narrabri Water Augmentation project, Wee Waa and Boggabri sewage treatment plant upgrades and Federation Farm which utilises water from the Narrabri treatment works.”

Local Government NSW president Linda Scott said the Water Management Conference had never been more relevant for councils, and their water utilities, given that 100 per cent of NSW is either in drought, is drought-affected, or experiencing intense drought.

“There has never been a more important time for council leadership in the management of our precious water supplies,” Cr Scott said.

“As our climate changes, our focus on the management of water will increase.

“Narrabri is a major agricultural hub in North-West NSW and a prime location for the LGNSW Water Management Conference, which will focus on water issues particularly in regional and rural areas.”

Narrabri Shire Council mayor, Cathy Redding, said the council was very excited to host this year’s conference .

“We’re looking forward to showcasing the region’s innovative water infrastructure and water security measures,” Cr Redding said.

“For example, delegates can look forward to a tour of Baan Baa and learn about the innovative Baan Baa Water project, which is vital water infrastructure supplying secure, potable water to the village, for the first time.

“Importantly, this infrastructure has not only increased the liveability of Baan Baa, but it has also improved safety during bushfire threats and has removed the added expense of having water delivered in dry times.

“It is also utilising solar technology to run pumps and decrease ongoing running costs for council.”