Minister for Water Utilities Nathan Rees was in Braidwood last Wednesday meeting surrounding Council representatives to discuss the Inquiry into Country Water Utilities.

Asked about the state of Braidwood's water Mayor Jim Maclachlan described the plant as "fairly primitive", and said "it's the price you pay for living in a small community."

However Mr Rees said that "what we're about is making sure that people in rural NSW receive exactly the same quality of water supplies as people in our cities."

Mr Rees emphasised that there was no 'Macquarie Street solution' to the challenges, however the Inquiry into Country Water Utilities could foreshadow massive changes to water control and funding would be found from the sale of the State's electricity.

Part of the reforms may include taking Water and Sewer out of Local Government hands into 'County Council' style organisations. Palerang GM Peter Bascomb has warned that this would lead to the loss of around 8 Council staff, and the question of the requirement to maintain staff numbers following amalgamation has not been answered.

Minister Rees said "I want to draw a line under it. I've made it clear that there will be very significant additional funds if we can come up with sustainable models that set us up for the future."

A discussion paper is available at www.dwe.nsw.gov.au