Wagga City Council has set a timeline for finalising the Lake Albert pipeline after uncovering decommissioned water pipes that could slash the cost of the project.
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The council's general manager Peter Thompson confirmed on Tuesday that council hopes to have the project up and running by April 2022, and will be writing to the state government to encourage them to finalise a special water access permit promised in April.
"It is an ambitious target but we're trying to get into a position where we'll be able to use that access licence in April next year to fill the lake if it needs filling," Mr Thompson said.
The Lake Albert pipeline was confirmed in April after the council signed a five-year memorandum of understanding with NSW Water Minister Melinda Pavey to provide an interim 'special access' licensing arrangement to pump 1800 megalitres of water into the lake each year. The licence is still being processed by WaterNSW.
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Under the pending agreement, council will only be able to pump water into the lake between April and September, making Mr Thompson's anticipated start date the earliest possible of 2022.
Mr Thompson also confirmed the discovery of some existing infrastructure by council and Riverina Water during the planning process that may be repurposed for the project, giving council a "head start" on constructing the line.
"We've actually identified some decommissioned pipes that are already in the ground including down to a river off-take point which we look like we might be able to use to get the water up to the lake," Mr Thompson said at Monday evening's council meeting.
The iconic Wagga lake has suffered long-term water level issues, with low levels having caused blue-green algae blooms over the past few years and damaged the city's economy via the loss of the Barry Carne Interstate Challenge major water-skiing event for two years between 2019 and 2020.
Long-time campaigner for the lake Mick Henderson, who heads up the Water for Lake Albert group, said the progress of the pipeline sounds promising, but the community remains sceptical after years of inaction and dwindling water levels.
"A lot of the projects are long-winded, there's a lot of red tape and a timeline is very randomly met here for projects."
Wagga MP Joe McGirr said he understood the frustrations of community groups like Water for Lake Albert, but was optimistic about the pipeline's progress at this stage.
"The issue with the lake has been going on for decades and there's been a lot of talk and not much action until the last couple of years, so I understand absolutely why they would be anxious and even sceptical," Dr McGirr said. "I think this is the best opportunity for the lake in a long time and we need to make it happen."
Mr Thompson confirmed that armed with council's significant design progress and new timeline they will now be petitioning the state government for a resolution.
"Given our design is progressing, we will now write to the state government to tell them where we're up to and ask where they're up to with regards to the regulations changes that have to be made to provide the special purpose access licence, and how close we are to being able to draw on that next year," Mr Thompson said.
Dr McGirr said he has personally followed up with the WaterNSW and expects them to respond in a timely manner.
"I've indicated to them that the council is moving ahead with the pipeline and that we should be aiming for April and [that] I think we need to set that target," he said.
The council also confirmed that funding for the pipeline, which will be a "dollar for a dollar" model with the federal government, is still pending approval after mayor Greg Conkey submitted the request in April.
Wagga Nationals MP Wes Fang called the plans for the pipeline "innovative'" and said the state government is "very keen to support Wagga" in the completion of the project.
"It's such a focal point of Wagga there's no question [that in] having supported it, we will make it easier in the future for Wagga to attract people," he said.
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