Our water situation today

We've looked after our city's water needs. We're proud to have taken good care of Palmy's water, meaning you have safe and resilient water infrastructure.

City water assets are compliant.
Water assets make up about 34% of Council assets.
Day-to-day water costs are about 13% of Council’s operating costs.

We expect to spend $432 million for day-to-day maintenance and supply over the next 10 years.

This year, you'll pay around $957 for water services

Our city has historically had far lower water rates than many of those around us.

This is how it breaks down for residential ratepayers in 2024/25:

$415 for drinking water (a fixed charge)
$375 for wastewater (a fixed charge)
$167 for stormwater (as part of the general rate. The exact amount per property depends on the land value of the property)

Homeowners connected to our water network pay the same for these fixed charges.

They’re the day-to-day costs of looking after your water needs, including the replacement of the assets we currently own. Your rates also help cover the cost of repaying the debt for large construction projects.

In our Long-Term Plan we have explained that within 10 years there could also be an additional levy of at least $1,000 per connection for Nature Calls.

Note:

Some businesses that use a lot of water pay for their water consumption and wastewater treatment separately – this is called trade waste.
When new development happens in the city, the developers are also required to contribute to the costs of infrastructure through development contributions.

Water projects make up half of our proposed capital work in the next decade

We’re planning on spending $900 million on water projects over the next 10 years.

Then in the following 20 years we’re expecting to invest an additional $600M.

How we fund water projects

For many of our larger construction projects, we use loans to fund them and then pay them back over time, like a mortgage.

For our Nature Calls wastewater consent project, we’ve also looked at external financing to help fund it (under the Infrastructure Funding and Financing Act).

Did you know that water pipes only need to be replaced around every 80 years?

Large water construction projects last many decades. This means the investment helps our community now, and for generations to come. That's why this decision on who manages Palmy's water in the future is so important.

Have your say now