A raft of water saving measures are being proposed for the NSW regional metropolis of Tamworth, together with purified recycled water, after plans for a brand new dam and pipeline had been sunk by a scarcity of funding.
Water Minister Rose Jackson says it is crucial the realm is healthier ready when the following drought hits – with a lot drier situations forecast as early as the top of this 12 months.
“The 2017-2020 drought was a major wake-up call and taught us a great deal about managing our water resources,” Ms Jackson mentioned on Thursday.
“We need to put these lessons to good use in preparing the region for the next dry spell.”
The authorities scrapped the Dungowan Dam and pipeline mission final month, which might have bolstered Tamworth’s water provide, citing value blowouts of almost $1 billion after federal funding fell by means of.
Alternative drought-busting methods embody purified recycled waste water and superior water remedy crops for industrial re-use.
Other potentialities open for investigation embody new inter-valley pipelines linking Tamworth with Keepit Dam, Split Rock Dam and the Manning Valley, or the development of a brand new 10 gigalitre off-river storage at Piallamore.
“There is also a list of water efficiency and demand management options that could be implemented fairly quickly including fixing leaking pipes and old meters to make water supplies go further,” Ms Jackson mentioned.
The measures fall beneath the newly launched Namoi Regional Water Strategy, which first opened for public session in March 2021 and has taken enter from Aboriginal communities, residents, farmers, companies, stakeholder teams, and councils.
Ms Jackson mentioned the technique presents a listing of the 27 greatest quick, medium and long run choices to bolster Tamworth’s drought resilience over the following 20 years.
Draft variations of the technique cited a number of potential obstacles to introducing recycled water together with regulatory processes and group acceptance, noting no determination on purified recycled water will probably be taken with out intensive group session.
The technique is taken into account to be a possible roadmap for rising water provide to Gunnedah, Narrabri, Walgett, Wee Waa, Manilla, Quirindi, Walcha and the remainder of the area.
“I want to be clear that whatever decisions we make will be based 100 per cent on evidence including state-of-the-art climate modelling, so we are making the most of the water we have while finding new ways to increase supply,” Ms Jackson mentioned.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
