The 2025 Local Government NSW (LGNSW) Water Management Conference has wrapped up in Albury after three days of discussion, knowledge-sharing and on-the-ground learning.

More than 200 delegates came together to address some of the most pressing challenges facing local water utilities (LWUs) and the communities they serve.

Key topics of discussion included the need for appropriate funding and regulatory reform for local government owned water and sewerage services in rural and regional NSW. Other focus areas included the risks posed by ageing infrastructure, PFAS contamination, drought preparedness, flood recovery, the need for skilled resourcing, and climate change impacts.

LGNSW President and Forbes Mayor, Phyllis Miller OAM said the conference underscored the critical role of local government in ensuring the provision of reliable water resources for communities across the state.

“Councils are at the frontline of ensuring safe, sustainable and affordable water services for our communities. There are 89 council-owned LWUs across 700,000 square kilometres of NSW, collectively serving a population of 1.85 million people in 890,000 homes and businesses,” President Miller said.

“Councils want to deliver safe, secure and affordable water for all of NSW, but duplicative reporting and planning obligations are getting in the way. Resources are being unnecessarily diverted into regulatory reporting that adds little value. We need regulatory reform, certainty of funding, and a real commitment to risk-based management, not merely ‘rinse and repeat’. We also need to ensure that the state’s LWUs remain in local government hands.

“In conjunction with the NSW Water Directorate, we’re calling for the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) to continue the Safe and Secure Water Program and Town Water Risk Reduction Program beyond 2028, co-designed with LWUs to ensure they remain fit for purpose,” she said.

President Miller said ageing infrastructure was another critical risk, with the capital investment backlog already exceeding $5 billion.

“This figure could be far higher once new risks are factored in. Councils need funding security from the State Government in order to upgrade and replace this infrastructure,” she said.

The event closed with Ballina Shire Council confirmed as host of the 2026 Water Management Conference, with support to be provided by Rous County Council.