City of Orange

The City of Orange is a local government area in the central west region of New South Wales, Australia. Based in Orange, the area is located adjacent to the Mitchell Highway and the Main Western railway line.

Suburbs and localities

Council

Current composition and election method

Orange City Council is composed of twelve Councillors elected proportionally as a single ward. All Councillors are elected for a fixed four-year term of office. The Mayor is elected by the Councillors at the first meeting of the Council. The most recent election was held on 8 September 2012, and the makeup of the Council is as follows:^[3]

The current Council, elected in 2012, in order of election, is:^[3]

A referendum was held on 8 September 2012 and an absolute majority of voters resolved in favour to directly elect the Mayor.^[5] By consequence, the number of Councillors will increase from twelve to thirteen. The change will take effect at the next elections, due to be held in September 2016.

Water resources

Orange has several water sources used for domestic consumption, both currently in use and formerly used. Currently/ Suma Park Dam and Spring Creek Reservoir are used for domestic water consumption. Two other dams were previously used for domestic water consumption however are now used for recreational purposes, these being Lake Canobolas and Gosling Creek Reservoir. Orange was on Level 5 Water restrictions, however after heavy rain increased capacity from around 20% to 100% restrictions were eased back to level 2.

Orange City Council is undertaking a number of strategies to supplement its supply, including stormwater harvesting.

The first batch of harvested stormwater was released into Suma Park Dam on 21 April 2009. The harvested stormwater was tested by Analytical Laboratory Services, an independent laboratory based in Sydney. ALS tested for 90 potential pollutants. The tests revealed that the water quality met all targets. The first batch contained 14 megalitres. It is believed to be an Australian first for harvesting stormwater for potable use.

The hardware is in place, operating rules have been developed and environmental factors and impacts on downstream users have been considered. A three-month trial will ensure all these elements are working together to ensure high water quality and environmental standards are met. There are several phases involved in the commissioning period. The hardware, which includes three separate pumping stations, creek flow monitoring points and advanced electronics including fibre optic cables, will undergo further operating tests.

The other elements of the scheme include a weir on Blackmans Swamp Creek, which creates a 3 megalitre pool and the site for the first pump station, a 200 megalitre dam and two 17 megalitre batching ponds. The pumps on the creek transfer stormwater to the 200 megalitre dam at a rate of up to 450 litres per second and are designed to rapidly extract peak storm flows from the creek. The operating rules require that a base flow immediately downstream in the creek must be maintained. The creek flow monitoring points ensure these standards are met. The monitoring station also measures when harvesting can commence. The trigger is flows passing the monitor in Blackmans Swamp Creek exceeding 1000 litres per second.

The local mine, Cadia Valley Operations, uses the city's treated effluent to supplement its water supply.

References