$10,000 Community Resilience Grant for Poowong-Loch-Nyora – Now Open!

Friday, January 19th, 2024

UPDATE 16/02/2024: DUE TO REGION-WIDE POWER OUTAGES, APPLICATIONS HAVE BEEN EXTENDED UNTIL 10 MARCH 2024, 11.59 PM.

On 3 January, South Gippsland Water issued a precautionary Boil Water Alert for Poowong, Loch and Nyora. This meant that customers needed to boil their water before drinking and using water in food preparation.

We issued the alert after routine water quality testing detected low levels of E. coli, a type of bacteria that indicates potential contamination of the water supply. Extensive inspections of our assets have not found any possible ingress point for contamination.

As part of our commitment to customers and service standards, the lifting of the Boil Water Advisory triggers a $10,000 community grant.

Managing Director of South Gippsland Water, Robert Murphy said, “This grant is an integral part of our response to the incident. This grant has been modelled on one offered to the community of Inverloch after a Boil Water Advisory occurred there in 2022. We feel strongly that a grant that supports the community or builds capacity to face future incidents or emergencies was something we can do in the wake of these events”.

Mr Murphy continued, “It is envisioned that this grant may help our customers who are struggling or improve the wider community’s ability to cope when something goes wrong”.

The Community Resilience Grant is designed to:

• Support members of the Poowong-Loch-Nyora community experiencing vulnerability including those experiencing financial or social disadvantage.

or

• Provide capacity building or preparedness within the Poowong-Loch-Nyora community to be able to respond to current or future incidents or emergencies.

The grant is open to non-profit, Poowong-Loch-Nyora based, community groups or organisations. It will be a once-off grant to the total value of $10,000. It may be a single grant or multiple smaller grants, depending on the applications received and South Gippsland Water’s assessment of these.

Applications are open now, and close Sunday 29 February 2024. To apply visit www.sgwater.com.au and complete the application form.

South Gippsland Water and its Community Advisory Committee will review applications and award the grant.  Local Poowong-Loch-Nyora community groups are encouraged to apply.

Visit https://www.sgwater.com.au/learning-centre/community-programs/community-grants/ for more information and to find a copy of the application form.  Alternately contact media@sgwater.com.au for more information.

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