Council Invests in Local Water Trainees

Published on 01 September 2025

Recent rainfall across the Uralla Shire has brought welcome relief, replenishing our creeks, rivers, and dams. While this natural abundance is encouraging, the challenge remains: capturing and preserving water for future dry periods is a complex and ongoing task.

For regional councils like ours, water security is not just a priority, it’s essential to the health, sustainability, and prosperity of our communities. However, achieving water security depends on a critical resource: a skilled workforce.

Maintaining water infrastructure is demanding work. It often involves responding to emergencies in harsh conditions, such as repairing burst mains in the middle of a freezing night or collecting water samples from icy dams. These roles require dedication, resilience, and technical expertise. While these workers are compensated, competition from private employers offering higher wages presents a significant challenge to retaining talent.

Uralla Shire Council is currently surrounded by larger regional centres, all competing for skilled workers. This makes recruitment and retention increasingly difficult, especially as many of our experienced staff approach retirement. These long-serving employees possess invaluable knowledge and skills that are not easily replaced.

Recognising this, Council has made workforce development a key focus of its Strategic Water Security Planning Study. We recently spoke with Michaela Sisk, Manager of the Water and Wastewater Team, who shared that Council has secured grant funding to support local traineeships. “It’s hard to find reliable workers,” Michaela said, “and when we do, we must hold on to them.”

To see this initiative in action, we visited the Uralla Water Treatment Facility at Kentucky Creek Dam and met two new team members, Marty and Rob, who are currently undertaking traineeships. Despite the cold conditions, both were enthusiastic about their roles and the training they’ve received. Marty spoke about the confidence gained from intensive training in Tamworth, while Rob shared his experience responding to a burst water main late at night, driven by a strong sense of duty to his hometown and family.

We also caught up with Paul Byrne, Team Leader for Water and Wastewater, who explained that daily water sampling is conducted at both Kentucky Creek Dam and Taylors Pond in Bundarra. These tests ensure that treated water consistently meets national standards, safeguarding public health.

According to the NSW Water Quality Governance Roadmap, source water monitoring enables local water utilities to anticipate and respond to water quality events. This proactive approach ensures that treatment processes are effective and that communities receive safe, high-quality water.

The work carried out by our Water and Wastewater Team is vital. Their commitment ensures that Uralla Shire continues to thrive, even in the face of environmental and workforce challenges.

For more information about traineeships and apprenticeships at Uralla Shire Council email council@uralla.nsw.gov.au or phone 02 6778 6300

This initiative is proudly funded by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water (DCCEEW) through the Safe and Secure Future Water Program.