Councils endorse water pipeline route progress

Gosford City and Wyong Shire councils have formally endorsed a recommendation to progress the pipeline route for the Mardi-Mangrove Link Project.

The endorsement follows a Gosford / Wyong Councils’ Water Authority Board recommendation last month to progress more detailed investigations for the pipeline route along eight of the nine sectors and for all route options in Sector 6.

Gosford City Council adopted the recommendation at its meeting last week and Wyong Shire Council adopted the recommendation at its meeting last night.

“Now that the two Councils have formally endorsed the pipeline recommendation the Mardi-Mangrove Link Project Team can start more detailed work on geotechnical, ecological, engineering, cultural and other related studies,” said Gosford Mayor Jim Macfadyen.

“These studies will allow the pipeline alignment to be more defined and we will be contacting affected landholders shortly so that we can work with them to progress this important project further.”

Wyong Shire Mayor Warren Welham said the Project Team will now be visiting affected landowners in the Valley to brief them on exactly what the next steps will be.

‘The Project Team will be working extremely closely with all affected landowners to try and minimise the impact on people’s properties and businesses,’ he said.

“For Sector 6, there are still a number of unresolved issues and a balance is still being sought between the landowner, environmental, community, engineering, constructability and cost impacts.

“Reaching the current route decisions for the Mardi-Mangrove Link has been a major undertaking by everyone involved – Council staff, the Project Team and individual landholders.

“I particularly want to thank Yarramalong Valley landholders for their patience and cooperation during this process. Everyone in the Yarramalong Valley will be affected by the work in some form whether the pipeline runs through private properties or along the road reserve.

“Traffic delays, business impacts and personal inconvenience are all important factors in the community. We will continue to help minimise these impacts wherever possible.”

The Mardi-Mangrove Link Project is a key element of the Central Coast’s long-term water supply strategy known as WaterPlan 2050. It will link Wyong River to Mangrove Creek Dam via Mardi Dam and will be buried for its full length through Yarramalong Valley.

It is the biggest single infrastructure project for the Central Coast water supply in 25 years, since Mangrove Creek Dam was built in the early 1980s.

The Mardi-Mangrove Link project is an initiative of Gosford City and Wyong Shire Councils with Australian Government funding of $80.3 million through its Water Smart Australia Program.

Media contact: Lisa McDermott - 0438 980 445

Page last updated: 05/06/2008