NRAR to investigate compliance within bottling industry

The state’s water regulator will be on site inspecting water bottlers in August and September as part of a new proactive monitoring campaign to determine industry compliance levels.

The Natural Resources Access Regulator’s (NRAR) campaign will involve compliance officers inspecting mineral water bottling and extraction companies in the Southern Highlands, Lithgow, Oberon, Hawkesbury and the Central Coast areas.

NRAR’s Director of Regional Water Regulation (East) Graeme White said this campaign is a response to public concerns about the potential impacts on water resources and the independent review into the industry by the Chief Scientist & Engineer in 2019.

“This is an opportunity to check in with water bottlers to ensure they are doing the right thing and following the rules,” he said.

“Our officers will be on the ground monitoring water use and assessing the level of compliance within the water bottling industry in the coming months. “It’s important for the community, to feel confident that water use is fair and sustainable.”

NRAR officers will be checking water bottlers are taking water in accordance with their water allocations, have accurate and up-to-date records and are complying with the rules laid out in their licences and approvals.

NRAR is following NSW Health guidelines on COVID-19 and taking appropriate precautions to protect its staff and those on site during its inspections, including social distancing. NRAR will pre-arrange site inspections so they can be conducted safely.

To see the work NRAR does, go to its public register on the NRAR website industry.nsw.gov.au/nrar. Go to ‘Reports and data’, then ‘NRAR Public Register’.

To make a confidential report on suspected water misuse, contact the NRAR Hotline on 1800 633 362 or email nrar.enquiries@nrar.nsw.gov.au. For more information about NRAR and what it does, visit nrar.nsw.gov.au