Groundwater not used for town supply, says council

A multi-million dollar groundwater extraction scheme built by Gosford Council about 10 years ago to augment the Peninsula's drinking water supply is not currently being used for the purpose, according to the council.

The scheme includes bores sunk across the Peninsula and a water treatment plant at the council depot in Ocean Beach Rd.

The treatment plant can process five million litres a day to the same standard as Somersby and Mardi Water Treatment Plants.

The borefield and the water treatment plant, are listed as part of the Central Coast water supply system.

"The Woy Woy Groundwater Scheme was developed primarily as a drought contingency measure and as such we're currently not extracting any groundwater for the drinking water supply system," said Council's director of construction and operations, Mr Stan Antczak last week.

Mr Antczak said the scheme could also be used as an emergency water supply for the Peninsula, especially if a major water main break happens.

"We undertake regular, extensive monitoring of the Peninsula's groundwater, in-line with our licences issued by the NSW Department of Primary Industries, Water," Mr Antczak said.

"This includes monthly water level measurements to monitor any changes to groundwater table levels and the collection of samples for laboratory analysis," he said.

Gosford Council has licences to extract up to 1400 million litres of groundwater each year on the Peninsula.

Ground water extraction is regulated by the NSW Department of Primary Industries - Water.

"We provide the department with monitoring data when it requests it and during licence renewals," Mr Antczak said.

"Council's monitoring results do not suggest that salinity is an issue for the Peninsula's groundwater," Mr Antczak said.

In 2012 the NSW Department of Primary Industries, Water, issued risk assessment guidelines for groundwater-dependent ecosystems and used the Woy Woy borefield as a worked example of a pilot coastal aquifer.

Collectively the licensed demand on the Woy Woy groundwater resource totalled 2520 mega litres per year, according to the study.

Licences were issued to individual residents, as well as organisations, business and the council.

Of the total allocation, about 696 mega litres was for "access class licenses" for recreation such as watering sports grounds and parks.

Private domestic use accounted for 598 mega litres per year and 1225 mega litres was for Gosford Council's town water supply, according to the department's report.

The larger licensed groundwater users were listed as Everglades Golf Course and Gosford Council.

In 2012, according to the study, the Woy Woy water treatment plant produced between 2.5 and 4.9 megalitres per day from the 14 production bores.

The report stated that the Gosford Council's network consists of nine bores established to monitor saltwater intrusion, 32 bores for general water level monitoring and another nine bores for general water level and quality.

"Some additional groundwater monitoring is also undertaken by those access class licenses with large entitlements as part of the license conditions," the report said.

Media statement, 29 Mar 2016

Stan Antczak, Gosford Council

Risk assessment guidelines for groundwater dependent ecosystems,

NSW Department of Primary Industries, 2012