Ballarat Water Commissioners (previously known as The Ballarat and Ballarat East Water Commissioners 1872-1880)

Full description

The provision of water supply to Ballarat was initially managed by the municipalities of Ballarat (VA 478) and Ballarat East (VA 706) from the summer of 1861/2 and formalised through the formation of The Ballarat and Ballarat East Water Supply Committee. This body was constituted in 1872 with the tile of "The Ballarat and Ballarat East Water Commissioners" under the Water Works Commissioners Act 1869. Amending acts also passed in 1872 established the Commissioners as a local governing body, enabling the levying of rates.

These Commissioners were reconstituted as The Ballarat Water Commissioners on 1 July 1880 by The Waterworks Act 44 Vic. No. 656. There were seven Commissioners, three of which, including the Chairman appointed by the Governor in Council and two representing each of the two Councils. (After the two Councils were amalgamated in 1921 the new body (VA 478) provided the four Commissioners.) This provisions of this act and the Commissioners responsibilities were subsequently incorporated into Water Acts from 1890.

The Ballarat Sewerage Authority (VA 4405) was constituted under the provisions of the Sewerage Act by an Order in Council dated 30 November 1920. This order provided that the Ballarat Water Commissioners were also to be members of VA 4405.

An amendment to the Water Act in 1975 altered the number of Commissions to ten comprising two appointed by the Government, three from the Ballarat City Council and one each from the Borough of Sebastopol and the Shires of Ballarat, Bungaree, Buninyong and Grenville.

The Ballarat Water Commissioners became incorporated into the Ballarat Board (VA 4403) from 1 July 1984.