President of the Yass Valley Business Chamber, Jack Walker, 2023 Labor candidate for Goulburn, Michael Pilbrow, Federal Member for Eden-Monaro, Kristy McBain and Yass Valley Mayor Jasmin Jones at the funding announcement. Photo: Supplied.
Work will start on a long-awaited new water treatment plant for the Yass Valley in July next year and be completed by 2028, thanks to a $36 million injection of funds from the NSW and Federal governments.
Announced in Yass on Thursday (12 December), the two governments will contribute $18.1 million each towards the refurbishment of existing and construction of new water treatment assets to improve the quality of drinking water – a long-standing issue for the Yass community.
Yass Valley residents have been complaining about the standard of their water for decades, with many posting images on social media of brown water coming from taps or filling baths. Residents were also regularly urged to boil water.
The problem was blamed on an antiquated treatment works that could not cope with the growing population of the Yass Valley.
In 2024, a survey by the Yass Valley Council showed 85 per cent of residents refused to drink tap water and sought alternative sources.
For the Mayor of Yass, Jasmin Jones, the funding announcement was “the best Christmas present ever”.
She said on Thursday that as recently as Monday, council was only hours away from declaring another boiled water alert following torrential rain in the Valley at the weekend.
“We had about four hours left in the system because it couldn’t deal with the storm event we had, but we managed to deal with it in time.”
She also said had the funding not come through, Yass ratepayers would have had to pay an extra $300 a year for the next 20 years to pay for a new water treatment system because it had become crucial to install a new system.
Federal Member for Eden-Monaro, Kristy McBain welcomed the announcement, saying brown and smelly water, the norm for Yass Valley residents for years, would not be tolerated in the city.
“But like so many regional communities, that’s been the reality in Yass for decades – with locals told to just put up with it.
“The water quality issues have seen people move away from Yass, put a handbrake on the community as it continues to grow, and also placed increased cost pressures on local businesses.
“Yass deserves better, which is why the Albanese Government is investing $18.1 million towards a new water treatment plant – delivering a long-term solution for the community’s future.
“Yass families and businesses have asked for a fix for decades; it’s something I’ve advocated for since I was elected in 2020, and I’m incredibly proud to have secured this funding before Yass moves out of the Eden-Monaro electorate.”
Ms Bain also said the funding was guaranteed for the waterworks and was not contingent on any change of government.
Federal Minister for the Environment and Water Tanya Plibersek said all Australians, no matter where they lived, had the right to safe, reliable water.
“Yass is only an hour drive from Canberra yet residents experience regular boil water alerts due to water quality issues. This isn’t acceptable and that’s why we are taking action,” she said. “The new water treatment plant will be a game-changer for Yass.”
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