Local news for local people
April 2024 Oberon Council Meeting
April 25, 2024
The April 2024 meeting of Oberon Council attracted the largest audience of ratepayers and community members seen there for some time. They had come to ask questions about the quality of water supplied to some parts of the town, particularly the businesses along the western end of Oberon Street.
More people than chairs.
The question session was extended from the usual twenty minutes maximum to allow everyone who wanted to speak to have their turn, and the repeated story was that the water quality was having a severe and adverse effect on many of the businesses in town. One consequence of the water problem was that Vicki Walsh announced the closure of The Laundry Pad, and several of the speakers mentioned the effect this will have on local businesses that relied on the service and how this will transfer economic activity from Oberon to Bathurst and other towns. (The Laundry Pad has since reopened, but with a limited range of services.) Another affected business is Pick of the Bunch, where filters on the coffee machine have to be replaced at far too frequent intervals.
See also: Letter - The state of Oberon's water
The mood of the audience suggested that no satisfactory answers would be provided on the night and it was probably a little unreasonable to expect Councillors and Council staff to have all the answers right there, but this problem has been going on for a long time and the residents and business owners would like to have some reassurance that something is being done and a timetable for doing it.
The question session can be seen between 4:40 and 43:45 on the recording of the meeting.
Council have issued a Media Release, but the town awaits a more detailed explanation and plan to fix the problem.
MEDIA RELEASE - 19 April 2024
Published on 19 April 2024
Oberon Community Water Quality Concerns.
Council would like to thank the community for its attendance at the April Ordinary Meeting on Tuesday night and acknowledges the community's concern regarding the quality of the Oberon water supply. As discussed on the night, Council will provide a public response to those questions taken on notice via Council's website - www.oberon.nsw.gov.au
As stated at the meeting, Council engaged independent experts City Water Technology (CWT) to undertake assessment and provide recommendations to Council as to how it can improve processes to ensure its ongoing compliance.
Council has endorsed this document prepared by CWT and propose to implement these recommendations in consideration of the financial constraints on the ratepayer. Council have committed to keeping the community updated on all works as they are undertaken.
At the meeting there was some commentary linking previous water initiatives to water quality. Council will address those to ensure appropriate independent advice is obtained.
Oberon Council is committed to providing the best quality of water for our community.
Gary Wallace, General Manager
Clr Mark Kellam, Mayor
Update, May 17 - Oberon
Council have issued
answers to the questions raised on the night
The rest of the meeting was uneventful, with committee and staff
reports being accepted with little discussion. The meeting's agenda
can be found here
and
a recording of the meeting is available on YouTube.
You can see
the
minutes of the meeting here.
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