At Goulburn-Murray Water (GMW) we are creating a fairer climate for our customers through our zero-tolerance approach to water theft.
Water is a valuable and limited resource. The overwhelming majority of our customers manage their water usage with integrity and stay within their entitlements.
It is our responsibility to protect these customers from the consequences of water theft, and ensure they are not paying for others’ misdoings.
Our zero-tolerance approach to water theft is a commitment to our customers that we will do everything we can to guarantee equity. Recent figures provide evidence of this commitment.
In the 2019/20 season, 0.73 per cent of the water we delivered was unauthorised take, meaning it was taken illegally. This figure may not seem high, but during that irrigation season, it accounted for more than 10,000 ML of water.
Throughout the 2021/22 irrigation season, only 0.24 per cent of the water we delivered was unauthorised take, equating to 4693.3ML of water.
One of the main factors driving this figure down is an increased emphasis on compliance.
We have continued to invest in modern metering and telemetry to improve monitoring of water usage. Not only do our staff have greater access to data, but our customers too.
Additional data and the assistance of our customer support team means we are giving customers all the tools they need to ensure they stay within their entitlements.
However, the reduction in unauthorised take can also be attributed to how we enforce the laws when people break them.
The actions we take to ensure compliance means unauthorised take is increasingly likely to be intentional rather than negligent, but where possible we give people in unauthorised take the ability to correct their actions.
If corrective measures are not taken, we then proceed to prosecution, or suspension or cancellation of an authorisation.
Across the past two irrigation seasons, we have completed 38 prosecutions. These help us recuperate the costs of stolen water – with fines of up to $10,000 being issued – but they also act as a deterrent to those who might otherwise illegally take water.
This irrigation season we will have even better equipped to tackle water theft.
Earlier this year, the Water (Infringements) Regulations 2020 was amended to allow the issuing of Penalty Infringement Notices (PIN).
An Authorised Water Officer can now issue a PIN to an individual or body corporate who has committed a water infringement offence, without having to go to court. The maximum penalty for an individual is $2,219 and $11,095 for a body corporate.
I believe PINs will be an invaluable tool in water enforcement.
In the Loddon Valley, we are trialling a meter-reading project where customer meter readings will be mandatory when customers place orders on non-telemetered meters.
We are thankful to our customers joining in this trial and are eager to see if this trial helps customers better manage their accounts by ensuring their information is up-to-date.
Water compliance helps the environment and helps our customers, so we are eager to help in any way possible. If you have any questions, feel free to phone 1800 013 357 or email compliance@gmwater.com.au