Water Supply

The three bulk water providers are owned by joint authorities comprising the councils in their respective constituencies. They supply bulk water to their member councils, who in turn supply the consumers. While councils all have responsibilities for water quality under the Public Health Act 1997, only ten local councils manage their own drinking water supply schemes, and eighteen councils purchase water supplies from the three bulk water authorities. Key activities for the water authorities are:

• acquire raw water from catchment areas
• treat raw water
• store and deliver treated water to bulk customers
• implement quality programs and manage the process
• maintain the asset base in an efficient and effective manner
• monitor community and industry needs to expand.

Hobart Water is the principal supplier of bulk quality water to the eight councils of southern Tasmania:

• Brighton Council;
• Clarence City Council;
• Derwent Valley Council (also manages waste);
• Glenorchy City Council;
• Hobart City Council;
• Kingborough Council;
• Sorell Council; and
• Southern Midlands Council.

Esk Water is the principal provider of bulk water to four councils in the Launceston / Tamar Valley region in Northern Tasmania.

• Launceston City Council
• George Town Council
• Meander Valley Council
• West Tamar Council.

Cradle Coast Water is the principal supplier of bulk quality water to six councils of North-west Tasmania:

• Circular Head
• Waratah-Wynyard
• Central Coast
• Devonport
• Latrobe
• Kentish.

Some councils are responsible for their own water supply and often manage several schemes.

Burnie City Council is the largest of the local governments who supply their own water at approximately 3,000 to 4,000 megalitres annually.

Rivers and Water Supply Commission

The Rivers and Water Supply Commission also provides bulk water for irrigation. The vast majority of the irrigation supplies in Tasmania are sourced from unregulated streams through private infrastructure.

The major irrigation schemes in Tasmania include:

• Cressy-Longford Irrigation Scheme
  - managed by Cressy-Longford Irrigation Scheme Ltd, a cooperative established by irrigators on the scheme. The scheme services properties in the Cressy to Longford area of North-eastern Tasmania
• Winnaleah Irrigation Scheme
  - managed by Winnaleah Irrigation Scheme Ltd, a cooperative established by irrigators on the scheme.The scheme services 60 properties in the Derby-Winnaleah area of North-eastern Tasmania
• South-East District Irrigation Scheme
  - managed by the Rivers and Water Supply Commission. The scheme services properties in the Colebrook-Richmond-Cambridge area of Southern Tasmania
• River Clyde Irrigation Scheme
  - managed by the Rivers and Water Supply Commission. The scheme services properties in the Clyde River Valley area of Central Tasmania. 
• Meander District Irrigation Scheme
  -  managed by the Rivers and Water Supply Commission, the scheme services properties in the Meander Valley area.

The Department of Primary Industries and Water provides a map showing irrigation project locations and details.

The Water Information System of Tasmania (WIST) is a single point of access to Tasmanian freshwater related information.