As a result of a motion by Cr Paul Tuddenham at Wednesday’s meeting, Council will seek information from the Minister for Water Philip Costa and the relevant government departments about the current bore licenses and any proposed bores.

Council will also investigate what guidelines are in place to monitor water extraction and seek advice on whether

levies can be place on water bore licences in the Southern Highlands.

Cr Tuddenham said considering Wingecarribee Council had just gone through an Independent Pricing and

Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) review of the price Council paid for water, it was time to review the amount of water taken from the shire at no cost and on-sold.

“I’d like to know how many commercial entitlements and how many bores have been granted, the amount of water extracted and the benefit to the community,” he said.

“...These licenses are given without consultation to us, they are granted every litre of water they are able to take and we don’t benefit.”

Cr Jim Mauger expressed concern about the effect on commercial water extraction on groundwater levels

throughout the shire.

Deputy Mayor Ken Halstead also supported the motion strongly, noting that a single-axle truck caused 4521 times as much damage to roads than a car.

“That’s a lot and if you have a dual axle or tri-axle or B-Double, you can extradite the amount of damage.”