With the clock ticking on the township's remaining water supply, Tenterfield Shire Council in conjunction with a team of specialists has identified four sites worth of further exploration as potential bore sites to supplement Tenterfield Dam.
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They are in the Miles/Pelham Streets area, around Martin Street, a kilometre south of the Waste Water Treatment Plant and then just east of the dam past the archery club ground on Scrub Road.
Council chief executive Terry Dodds said any progress with be subject to council locating publicly-owned land in the area, but each site has convergent deep fractures indicating a potential for underground water.
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The four sites were identified as the result of a Skype meeting council hosted last week with representatives from multiple specialist private companies and government agencies, to discuss drilling for water and how to step through the extremely complex process.
Mr Dodds said the marathon meeting ran for almost 2.5 hours, involving exploration geologists from as far afield as Tasmania, hydrogeologists from Sydney and interstate, drilling company and Natural Resources Access Regulator representatives from Dubbo, Department of Industry - Water staff from Coffs Harbour, Department of Health from Tamworth, consultant engineers from Ballarat and Caringbah as well as Council's specialist personnel.
"What became very clear was the rich geographical history and huge variety of underground formations in the general area, some of which is often commonly described as fractured granite," Mr Dodds said.
"Some of it is not granite at all, or even the common term used by drillers and explorers in the past which was 'blue granite'. It's actually a rock called Rhyodacite.
"There appears to be potential underground water sources in four areas which will now require the approval process to be enacted prior to physical investigation involving test bores.
"Fingers crossed."