An inflammatory report in a Sydney paper inferring that Tenterfield residents will soon be drinking sewage water has been downplayed by Tenterfield Shire Council.
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In a statement council advised that it will be receiving a report on October 30 regarding a collaboration with the NSW Government to investigate the use of recycled water, to further support the long-term security of town supply.
"Many cities including London, and whole countries around the world have been successfully recycling water for decades," the statement said.
"Further, a great many regional towns around Australia, especially NSW, take water from rivers and dams that towns upstream pump treated sewage water directly into, including Warragamba Dam, Sydney's water supply."
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Council said there are many pros and cons which need to be investigated, mostly relating to technical, financial and current and future environmental circumstances that may be faced. Others relate purely to human emotion.
Hopes continue that the test bores will prove fruitful, but council is not relying on a single 'Plan B'.
The Shirley Park bore is currently supplying 68 per cent of the town's daily water needs. Tenterfield Dam sits at 26 per cent capacity, but this includes up to 2.8 metres of silt in the base.
"If the bore stopped, the dam water would reach critical levels three times sooner than anticipated," council said.
"Even if the desired quantity of water from our current searches is achieved, it must be sustainable. Over 70 per cent of the test bores drilled so far -- some through very deep river sand giving us much hope -- have delivered negligible amounts of water."
The Transport Museum site may provide suitable quantities but as the bores are on the same creek as the Shirley Park bore, the water may be pumping from the same source. Yet-to-be-completed draw-down tests will confirm the situation.
Resorting to transporting water in by truck would prove extremely problematic, given that the extent of the drought would require water to be carted vast distances through surrounding areas also suffering water shortages.