Water fees and charges explained

Owners of properties that connect to the town water supply are required to pay water charges and fees.

Owners of properties with a town water supply connection are required to pay water charges and fees for the provision of a water service. Water charge and fee income is required to pay for:

operating expenses
infrastructure maintenance, renewal and new infrastructure expenses
principle and interest on loans

General rates income is not used for water supply services.

There are two recurrent water charges, an annual Water Access Charge and a quarterly Water Usage Charge. These charges are levied in accordance with the recommended pricing methodology of the NSW State Government, with a 75/25 income split between the usage and access charges.

Water Access Charge

The water access charge is an annual charge billed at the same time as the annual rates notice. The access charge is calculated based on the size of the water service and meter connection to the property. The larger the water connection the larger the access charge. The current water access charge adopted by Council is shown in Council's Revenue Policy available in the Delivery Program and Operation plan or visit our Water and Sewerage charges web page.

Water Usage Charge

The water usage charge is a volumetric charge levied at a rate per kilolitre of water used. It is billed four times each year. The more water used by a customer the higher the total usage charge. Greater reliance is placed on the usage charge for income generation as a way of encouraging wise water use. The current water access charge adopted by Council is shown in Council's Revenue Policy available in the Delivery Program and Operation plan or visit our Water and Sewerage charges web page.

Developer charges

Schedule 4 Developer Charges are one-off charges levied on developers to recover part of the capital cost incurred in providing infrastructure to a new development. The Developer Charge is levied in accordance with the recommended pricing methodology of the NSW State Government. The current water access charge adopted by CouncilCouncil's Revenue Policy available in the Delivery Program and Operation plan or visit our Water and Sewerage charges web page.

Water fees

One-off water fees are levied for water related services such as water connection, water disconnection, meter testing, pressure testing, meter relocation, design and specialised water supply services. The fees for these services adopted by Council are shown in the schedule of Fees and Charges.

Best-Practice Pricing and Regulation

Water prices are carefully regulated in NSW. Each year council reviews its water pricing in accordance with NSW Government Best Practice Management of Water Supply and Sewerage Guidelines. A key aspect of the Guidelines is long term financial sustainability and price certainty for customers.

Where to find more detailed information

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02 6499 2222
council@begavalley.nsw.gov.au
Zingel Place
PO Box 492
Bega NSW 2550
Monday to Friday 9.00AM to 4.30PM
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