Vacant Land Charges
Why have I received an account for water when I do not have a water connection on my property?
Customers are charged if their property is located within Cradle Mountain serviced land area whether the property is connect or unconnected to our infrastructure. This is a legislative provision implemented originally by councils under the now repealed Section 95 of the Local Government Act in order to cover the cost of infrastructure and now covered under the Water and Sewerage Act 2008, Section 68A.
My land is vacant, why haven’t I had to pay these fees before?
Customers have always paid service fees for vacant blocks of land within serviced areas; previously these fees would’ve been paid as part of Council rates bills.
Why do I need to pay for water & sewerage services?
All property owners in a serviced land area have paid for their water and sewerage services, previously as part of their council rates and with Cradle Mountain Water from July 2009. Water and sewerage infrastructure is both costly in terms of construction (it’s generally built with a 50+ year horizon) and also in terms of treatment. Drinking water must be treated to meet the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines for the sake of public health, and sewage needs to be removed and treated before it’s released into the environment – again to very strict standards. This cannot be achieved without revenue.
Will properties that are not currently in serviced land area have to pay for services in future?
If a property is not currently located in our serviced land area then they are not required to pay charges. In future, should services be extended to new areas, customers will have the option to connect to Cradle Mountain Water infrastructure at their cost.