Council's Water and Sewer Responsibilities
Expand the sections below for information on the range of legislative requirements, obligations and responsibilities of Dubbo Regional Council related to water and sewer.
WATER USAGE
2024/2025 - Water usage compared to permitted water usage (PDF 9.1KB)
The solid red line shows the cumulative water consumption that would just meet Dubbo's existing water extraction licences. So that the City does not exceed the existing licence limits, the City water extraction must stay "below" this line. The actual cumulative City water extraction each month is shown by the dotted line.
WATER SUPPLY SERVICES POLICY
Council's Water Supply Services Policy deals with water connections from Council's water reticulation network supplying drinking water onto the property of the water supply customer. The policy also includes information on water meters, fire services, backflow prevention, water theft, technical administration, pricing and charges. It can be viewed at Council's dedicated webpage; A-Z Council Policies.
The fact sheets for the former Dubbo (PDF 778.8KB) and Wellington (PDF 1.4MB) regions provide an overview of frequently asked questions on water connection, types of services, water meters, water service access and usage charges.
The Water Responsibility (PDF 650.3KB) fact sheet provides information on your and Council's responsibility for water supply services.
ENVIRONMENTAL DISCHARGE MONITORING
WATER TREATMENT PLANTS
Dubbo Regional Council's Water Treatment Plants are licenced by the NSW Environment Protection Authority, and backwash water discharged to the Macquarie River must be monitored in accordance with the terms of the licences.
John Gilbert Water Treatment Plant - EPA Licence 11694 (PDF 124.7KB)
Wellington Water Filtration Plant - EPA Licence 428 (PDF 159.5KB)
The following tables contain monthly monitoring data showing the acceptable ranges of pollutants in the backwash water as determined by the EPA, and the actual measurement of the pollutants present.
JOHN GILBERT WATER TREATMENT PLANT
John Gilbert Water Treatment Plant 2024/2025 (PDF 120.1KB)
John Gilbert Water Treatment Plant 2023/2024 (PDF 110.7KB)
John Gilbert Water Treatment Plant 2022/2023 (PDF 110.7KB)
John Gilbert Water Treatment Plant 2021/2022 (PDF 450KB)
John Gilbert Water Treatment Plant 2020/2021 (PDF 110.2KB)
WELLINGTON WATER TREATMENT PLANT
Wellington Water Filtration Plant 2024/2025 - Point 2 (PDF 103.7KB)
Wellington Water Filtration Plant 2023/2024 - Point 2 (PDF 125.3KB)
Wellington Water Filtration Plant 2022/2023 - Point 2 (PDF 99.7KB)
Wellington Water Filtration Plant 2021/2022 - Point 2 (PDF 416.1KB)
Wellington Water Filtration Plant 2020/2021 - Point 2 (PDF 101.1KB)
Wellington Water Filtration Plant 2024/2025 - Point 3 (PDF 107.6KB)
Wellington Water Filtration Plant 2023/2024 - Point 3 (PDF 125.3KB)
Wellington Water Filtration Plant 2022/2023 - Point 3 (PDF 99.7KB)
Wellington Water Filtration Plant 2021/2022 - Point 3 (PDF 419.6KB)
Wellington Water Filtration Plant 2020/2021 - Point 3 (PDF 101.6KB)
SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANTS
Dubbo Regional Council's Sewage Treatment Plants are licenced by the NSW Environment Protection Authority.
Dubbo Sewage Treatment Plant - EPA Licence 3850 (PDF 188.5KB) (PDF 218.3KB)
Wellington Sewage Treatment Plant - EPA Licence 3370 (PDF 140.6KB)
Effluent leaving the Sewage Treatment Plants are monitored in accordance with the terms of the licence. Licencees are required to publish pollution monitoring data that has been collected as a result of a licence condition, in accordance with section 66(6) of the POEO Act and written requirements issued by the EPA.
DUBBO SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT
The Dubbo Sewage Treatment Plant has two discharge points. The documents below refer to Point 1, which is the point of discharge to the Macquarie River. The monitoring frequency for this point is weekly when it is necessary to discharge effluent to the River.
Sewage Treatment Plant Point 1 - 2024/2025 (PDF 223.2KB)
Sewage Treatment Plant Point 1 - 2023/2024 (PDF 1.6MB)
Sewage Treatment Plant Point 1 - 2022/2023 (PDF 223.9KB)
Sewage Treatment Plant Point 1 - 2021/2022 (PDF 553.4KB)
Sewage Treatment Plant Point 1 - 2020/2021 (PDF 148KB)
Point 2 refers to monthly discharge of effluent to effluent irrigation. The licence does not state acceptable ranges for pollutants at this Point. Note that fewer pollutants are required to be monitored at Point 2 as compared to Point 1.
Sewage Treatment Plant Point 2 - 2024/2025 (PDF 116.5KB)
Sewage Treatment Plant Point 2 - 2023/2024 (PDF 193.2KB)
Sewage Treatment Plant Point 2 - 2022/2023 (PDF 89.2KB)
Sewage Treatment Plant Point 2 - 2021/2022 (PDF 445.9KB)
Sewage Treatment Plant Point 2 - 2020/2021 (PDF 104.3KB)
WELLINGTON SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT
The Wellington Sewage Treatment Plant has three discharge points. The documents below refer to Point 1, which is the point of discharge to Bushranger Creek. The monitoring frequency for this point is monthly.
Wellington Sewage Treatment Plant Point 1 - 2024/2025 (PDF 128.2KB)
Wellington Sewage Treatment Plant Point 1 - 2023/2024 (PDF 168.9KB)
Wellington Sewage Treatment Plant Point 1 - 2022/2023 (PDF 95.8KB)
Wellington Sewage Treatment Plant Point 1 - 2021/2022 (PDF 473.2KB)
Wellington Sewage Treatment Plant Point 1 - 2020/2021 (PDF 128.6KB)
Point 3 is the discharge downstream, and Point 4 upstream of the confluence of Bushranger Creek and the Macquarie River. The monitoring frequency for both points is yearly.
Wellington Sewage Treatment Plant Point 3 & 4 (PDF 172.6KB)
POLLUTION INCIDENT RESPONSE MANAGEMENT PLAN (PIRMP)
Council has developed Pollution Incident Response Management Plans that will guide Council's response in the event of any pollution incidents that may occur at the John Gilbert Water Treatment Plant (PDF 146.7KB), Wellington Water Treatment Plant. (PDF 124.2KB), Dubbo Sewer Treatment Plant (PDF 101.9KB) and Wellington Sewer Treatment Plant (PDF 113KB)
WATER MANAGEMENT AND SUPPLY
Council is responsible for providing a safe, reliable and cost effective drinking water supply which is customer focused, enhances the local area environment, and caters for the sustainable growth in the Dubbo Regional Council area.
WATER SOURCES
Council owns and operates its own water supply system and sources its potable water supply from the Macquarie River (100% for Wellington area) and for the Dubbo area the Macquarie River (typically 70%) and a total of 7 bores within the South Dubbo borefield (typically 30%). The water from is treated at the Wellington Water Treatment Plant and John Gilbert Water Treatment Plant (respectively) before being pumped to service reservoirs throughout the Wellington area and Dubbo area including the villages of Ballimore, Brocklehurst, Eumungerie, Mogriguy and Wongarbon.
MANAGEMENT OF WATER RESOURCES
The Drought Contingency and Water Emergency Response Plan (DCWERP) was prepared to ensure the community recognises the issues associated with drought management and their role in supporting Council's actions during drought or emergency incidents and a strategic mechanism for managing water supply in the Dubbo Local Government Area (LGA) during periods of drought or emergency incidents.
The DCWERP has been prepared to replace previous plans issued for both former Dubbo City and Wellington Council's.
The plan also includes:
- Clear protocols to assist Council in its decision making and governance processes during drought events.
- Emergency management processes and the appropriate high level responses.
- Incorporation of NSW State Government Audit feedback from the Drought Management Plan 2015.
- Integration of concerns identified in the NSW Advisory Integrated Water Cycle Management Issues Paper 2019.
To obtain a copy of DCWERP please download here (PDF 14.8MB)
OPERATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR WATER SUPPLY
Council supply treated water to the City of Dubbo and surrounding local government area, servicing a residential population of approximately 40,491 of which 34,130 are connected to the reticulated water supply. Water is sourced from a licensed intake on the Macquarie River and a borefield located in South Dubbo, and treated at the John Gilbert Water Treatment Plant prior to being pumped to service reservoirs throughout the urban areas of Dubbo.
An Operational Environmental Management Plan has been prepared to document the following:
For a copy of our Operational Environmental Management Plan for Water Supply, please contact us.
WATER ENTITLEMENT MANAGEMENT AND TRADING STRATEGY
Council's Water Entitlement Management and Trading Strategy helps guide future urban water supply planning to ensure:
- Dubbo's long term security of water supply
- Efficient management of water entitlements
- Recognition that water entitlements are valuable community assets
- Effective water purchases and trading activities
- Transparency and accountability in water trading activities.
For a copy of our Water Entitlement Management Trading Strategy, please contact us.
Council is currently developing a process for selling unwanted water licences. Council's water trading process will be available on the website once plans are completed.
INTEGRATED WATER CYCLE MANAGEMENT PLAN
The NSW Government has strongly encouraged Councils to undertake Integrated Water Cycle Management planning for some time now.
The NSW Department of Planning, Industry, and Environment (formerly the Department of Water and Energy) published "Best Practice Management of Water Supply and Sewerage Guidelines" in August 2007 which recommended six areas of best practice:
- Strategic Business Planning
- Pricing and Developer Charges (including Liquid Trade Waste Approvals)
- Demand Management
- Drought Management
- Performance Reporting
- Integrated Water Cycle Management (IWCM)
Items 1 - 5 have been addressed in the past.
The IWCM process required extensive input from Council staff and the wider community.
For a copy of Council's IWCM, please contact us.
* A number of strategies are in place across different functions of Council. However, only strategies that have been adopted by the new Dubbo Regional Council will be available on the A - Z plans and strategies page.
SEWAGE TREATMENT AND MONITORING
Learn more about sewage treatment and monitoring by Dubbo Regional Council.
OPERATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR SEWERAGE SERVICES
Council provides sewerage reticulation and treatment services to 32,537 Dubbo residents and 687 Wongarbon residents. Sewage is transferred from the residential properties, through a series of pipelines and pump stations to the Dubbo and Wongarbon Sewage Treatment Plant.
An Operational Environmental Management Plan (PDF 1MB) has been prepared to document the following:
- Regulatory requirements
- Management system components including reporting, document control, training, complaints and review, and
- Environmental risk identification, monitoring and management strategies associated with the sewer operations.
SEWAGE TREATMENT
The following table indicates some parameters of sewage received at the Dubbo Sewage Treatment Plant, called "influent", and the quality of the water after treatment, when it leaves the plant, called “effluent”.
| Parameter |
Unit |
Typical Influent |
Typical Effluent |
| Total Coliforms
|
cfu/100 mL |
22,000 |
12,736 |
| Faecal Coliforms |
cfu/100 mL |
1,180 |
216 |
| E Coli |
cfu/100 mL |
1,032 |
205 |
|
pH
|
- |
7.5 |
8.9 |
| Electrical Conductivity |
µS/cm |
1,280 |
929 |
| BOD – 5 Day |
mg/L |
154 |
2.9 |
| COD |
mg/L |
389 |
38.6 |
| Chlorophyll ‘a’ |
µg/L |
2 |
27.5 |
| Ammonia – N |
mg/L |
35 |
0.25 |
| Nitrogen – Oxidised |
mg/L |
1.89 |
1.17 |
| Nitrogen – Total Kjeldahl |
mg/L |
1.4 |
1.35 |
| Nitrogen – Total |
mg/L |
54 |
2.51 |
| Phosphorus – Total |
mg/L |
9.2 |
4.48 |
| Suspended Solids |
mg/L |
169 |
6.71 |
| Oil and Grease |
mg/L |
<2 |
1 |
The unit “cfu/100 mL” refers to the number of colony forming units in a 100 millilitre sample. It is a biological measure of viable bacterial cells in the water.
Electrical conductivity is measured in units of micro Siemens per centimetre (µS/cm). It is an indication of the amount of nutrient, impurities or salts in solution.
Last Edited: 14 Oct 2024