Role statement - Water Corporations

Water Corporations

Water Corporations deliver a range of services to customers and communities across their service areas. Responsibilities include supply of drinking and recycled water, removal and treatment of wastewater (sewage), delivery of water for irrigation, domestic and stock purposes, drainage and salinity mitigation. Water Corporations also operate and maintain a range of infrastructure that enables them to perform responsibilities, including treatment plants, pumping stations, pipes, channels, reservoirs, dams, gates, meters and ICT and operational technology systems. 

Mitigation

Activity Critical task alignment / activity source

Conduct periodic training exercises to ensure emergency management plans can be implemented effectively

1.6

Develop appropriate operation and maintenance plans, risk management plans, emergency management plans and business continuity plans to ensure the water supply, wastewater (sewerage) and irrigation and drainage assets owned or managed function appropriately

1.1, 1.3

Develop appropriate dam safety emergency plans to deal with a potential dam failure of dams owned or managed

1.1, 1.3

Participating agency for the following flood mitigation activity: 

  • dam safety management to mitigate safety risks from potential dam failure (as a dam owner and/or operator) 

Table 8: Participating agencies for mitigation

Participating agency for the following storm mitigation activity: 

  • equipped, trained and prepared essential services including power, water, gas and transport 
 Table 8: Participating agencies for mitigation

Participating agency for the following water supply disruption mitigation activity:  

  • system resilience (e.g. desal plant, grid connectivity, social (particularly human health), economic (including irrigation, raw water and recycled water) and natural environments) 

Table 8: Participating agencies for mitigation

Response (including Relief)

Activity Critical task alignment / activity source

Activate emergency management plans and business continuity plans when there is a foreseeable or actual failure of assets or disruption to services

3.1

Lead Response Support Agency (RSA) for the functional area of reticulated water and wastewater (sewerage)

Table 10: Support agencies for response
Provide advice and support to DEECA for dam safety events, where they have the resources capacity, including technical and operational resources.  3.2, 11.3
Manage local dam safety incidents for dams owned or operated by Water Corporations  3.2

Relief Support Agency (RelSA) to DEECA to provide drinking water in non-reticulated areas (as required) 

3.2, 10.2, 15.2

Table 12: Relief coordination

Recovery

Activity Critical task alignment / activity source

Recovery Lead Agency (RecLA) to deliver: 

  • recovery and rehabilitation of essential reticulated water supply for domestic use (co-lead with DEECA) 
  • restore essential reticulated wastewater (sewerage) services (where supply occurs) (co-lead with DEECA) 

19.7

Table 17: Recovery coordination: Built environment

Lead fish death clean-ups where the fish death event is on a Water Corporation managed water body at a local or regional scale.

18.4

Lead the delivery to restore, clear and rehabilitate public buildings and assets managed within Water Corporations’ portfolio

19.3, 19.7

Recovery Support Agency (RecSA) to make available essential water for agriculture (from raw water sources) and domestic uses (potable or raw water) to replace like for like water taken by DEECA and CFA from private landholders during bushfire suppression activities. However, Water Corporations do not manage the operations or supply the water. It is a priority for DEECA and CFA to take raw water for bushfire suppression rather than potable water

3.2, 15.3

Table 17: Recovery coordination: Built environment

Assurance and Learning

For assurance and learning activities, refer directly to the agency for further information.

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