The Federal Golf Club has backed a potential change to the ACT's water tariff system that could save the club thousands of dollars on water costs each year.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
General manager Scott Elias said the club spends $150,000 on water bills during "a cheap year", which is if it rains during the key summer period from December to March.
But an expensive year, he said, was had back in 2006, when it was hit with a massive $400,000 water bill, before the club installed new water-saving couch grass on all its fairways with the help of a government grant.
The club is one of many ACT sports fields and large industrial water users that could benefit if a potential change to Icon Water's tariff system is put in place.
The Independent Competition and Regulatory Commission is considering tariff reforms that could mean big users benefit from an increased $605-a-year supply fee, plus a "marginal cost" of $1.74 a kilolitre, down from the present $5.22 a kilolitre larger users pay for their water.
While the price is not yet a formal proposal, if it is made the draft decision in a coming September tariff review report, the changes would also hit all ACT residents who use less than 0.548 kilolitres each quarter, to the tune of a potential $500-odd extra a year on top of their $101 annual supply charge.
"I understand why the the price is there and why we pay more, but the reality is, facilities like golf courses have a static demand – if you want to keep a golf course or a sporting field green, we simply can't be weaned off water," Mr Elias said.
"We have done a lot to reduce our water consumption, with the couch grass and the irrigation ponds, but that has all relied on extra government grants for us to be able to afford.
"If we have a hot summer and our water use needs to go up, then most years that is the deciding factor as to whether we break even or not, and we can't keep increasing membership fees every year."
Mr Elias said he had not yet calculated how much the club could save if the potential changes were made – preferring to wait until a final decision from the commission – but he did want a reduction in the charges.
He said he would also back a reduced commercial rate for clubs, as proposed by ClubsACT, that took account of the potential "health benefits" of membership of a sports club.
