Even though water is no longer coming from the Murrurundi Dam, as its levels are now too low, Upper Hunter Shire Council is supplying a mix, about 50:50, of ground water from the emergency supply bore as well as the Scone water supply.

This is filtered through the Litree membrane ultrafiltration plant and chlorinated.

No other chemicals are used in the treatment process.

It means there are no health risks associated with drinking the water, and daily testing of the town water shows that it meets all the requirements of the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.

Council’s general manager Steve McDonald is reminding locals that the ongoing water issues in Murrurundi are to do with water availability, not quality.

“The emergency supply bore is supplying more than 100,000 litres a day,” he said.

“The town’s average consumption is about 230,000 litres a day, with the difference being supplied via water carting from Scone.

“The water carts only transport the water that is needed, so there is minimal wastage and no losses to evaporation.

“Council reminds residents that any taps that have not been turned on for a while (for example if you have been on holidays) may need to be run for a few minutes to clear any stale and/or discoloured water.

“Due to ongoing water restrictions, council has been unable to do regular mains flushing, which can result in cases of discoloured water.

“A network wide, zero water-loss mains cleaning program will be undertaken in April, which should reduce or eliminate these occurrences.

“If you are experiencing ongoing water quality issues, phone council on 6540 1100 or visit one of our offices.”

Murrurundi has been on Level 6 water restrictions since July 2018 due to the drought.

The tender for the detailed design and construction of the Scone to Murrurundi Water Pipeline is now closed, and is to be awarded this month.

Works are expected to be completed in 2020.

The project is estimated to cost $14.2 million, with more than $13 million in funding provided by the NSW Government’s Restart NSW Water Security for Regions program.

The remainder of the project funding is provided by council.