PIAC responded to the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal’s (IPART) 2021 Review of Essential Energy’s water and wastewater prices for Broken Hill Issues Paper.
There are a number of challenges for pricing water and wastewater services for the Broken Hill area and addressing these substantial challenges requires long-term planning by Essential Water and co-ordination with policy and planning across many levels of Government.
Essential Water’s long term planning must include consideration of how to ensure the long term security and sustainability of the area’s water supply and ensure that the community’s usage is as efficient and affordable as possible. This includes considering the long term viability of drawing from the Murray River via the pipeline, the sustainable use of local water options and optimum implementation of conservation and water recycling. These issues have been highlighted through State and regional water plans, and are of particular importance in the Broken Hill area.
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