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South Gippsland Council secures $55,000 extra funding from Minister for Water to develop the Integrated Water Management Plan

South Gippsland Shire Council has been successful in securing grant funding to develop an Integrated Water Management Plan for South Gippsland.

By news@gippsland - 4th July 2022 - Back to News

Integrated Water Management is defined as a collaborative approach to water planning and management that brings together organisations with an interest in all aspects of the water cycle including Local Governments, Catchment Management Authorities, Water Authorities and First Nations groups.

Council applied for a grant in 2021 to assist development of Integrated Water Management Plan that was confirmed a successful grant on 23 June 2022

Opportunities at regional levels

To facilitate this style of water management, five metropolitan and nine regional Integrated Water Management Forums have been established across the state to identify, prioritise and oversee the implementation of collaborative opportunities at local and regional levels.

At South Gippsland Shire Council, we have been an active member of both the Gippsland and Westernport Forums since 2018. To assist with the development of an Integrated Water Management Plan, council applied for a grant application in 2021 from the office of the Minister for Water. This was inclusive of a number of other council's across the State who had similar projects in mind.

Hearing the good news

On Thursday 23 June, we received confirmation that our application had been successful and we would be granted the $55,000 we asked for. Council will also be contributing up to $60,000 towards the development of the Plan.

It is anticipated that development of the plan will occur over the next 15 months to enable comprehensive consultation with the community and key partners. This Plan will then be used to frame the strategic justification of future Integrated Water Management project partnerships.

Important part of planning

South Gippsland Shire Council Chief Executive Officer, Kerryn Ellis said, "This grant funding is an important part of planning for the future of our region. Water management is an increasingly important issue for our community and key businesses, and is an issue that must be considered in a plethora of situations, for example, new housing developments. Many sections of the organisation - along with key partners - will have a part to play in ensuring that this is done right."

South Gippsland Shire Council Mayor, Mohya Davies said, "Securing grant funding for projects like this and other advocacy projects is vital. Sometimes, we simply cannot afford to undertake important strategic projects without it, which is a real struggle of many councils."

"I would like to thank the staff for their hard work in securing this funding alongside our friends and colleagues at other councils and with the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning. I look forward to seeing the outcome of this work." Cr Davies said.

Pictures from South Gippsland Shire Council Facebook page.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com