Narrabri town water restrictions escalated to level four

Water restrictions for the Narrabri town supply have now escalated to level four restrictions.

Narrabri Shire Council announced on Friday, October 3, that level two measures would take place from 12am on Saturday, October 4. This was followed up with an announcement on Wednesday, October 8, that level four restrictions were needed following a significant drop in the Namoi Street reservoir level and would be in place by 12am on Thursday, October 9.

In its initial announcement, council said Narrabri has been relying solely on the Elizabeth Street bore in recent months after PFAS levels in the Killarney Street and Tibbereena Street bores exceeded updated Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.

The Elizabeth Street bore can only pump a limited amount of water each day, council said in its update on Wednesday. Over recent days, community water use has increased due to higher temperatures, causing the reservoir to fall faster than it can be replenished.

As reported previously by The Courier, council had put mitigation measures in place after testing in early July showed the Namoi Reservoir slightly above the current guidelines (PFOS level of 9 ng/l – just above the new Australian Drinking Water Guidelines of 8 ng/l). “In line with recommendations from NSW Health, council conducted an investigation into this slight elevation of results, switching off the Tibberena and Killarney bores,” The Courier reported at the time.

As temperatures rise, so too has demand on water, placing significant strain on the supply, council said.

The Elizabeth Street bore has a pumping capacity of 60 litres per second. During a 24-hour period, it was topping up the Namoi Street Reservoir by an average of seven per cent. Current consumption, however, had been depleting the reservoir by an average of 11 per cent each day, meaning levels were dropping by around four per cent daily. The continued decline in water levels, however, had increased as temperatures got warmer.

“Level four restrictions have been introduced to protect the town’s supply and ensure there is enough water for essential needs,” council said in its announcement yesterday morning.

“Council has been actively advocating to the NSW government for urgent support to help address the issue and has engaged water specialists to identify and implement long-term solutions. However, these works take time to deliver due to required regulatory approvals and technical complexities.

“In the meantime, behaviour change is the fastest and most effective way to reduce water demand. The community is being asked to play its part and continue to make small, meaningful changes that together will make a big difference.

“Some members of the community have asked why restrictions weren’t introduced earlier. Council follows established restriction triggers to ensure decisions are made consistently and with minimal unnecessary impact. The recent sharp rise in temperatures accelerated demand more than anticipated. Even with hindsight, an earlier introduction of level two restrictions would likely have only delayed further restrictions by about a week.

“Council has also heard feedback from residents who were unaware of earlier restrictions. To address this, the communication approach has been expanded and now includes paid advertising on radio, print, and social media, in addition to council’s regular website, newspaper, social media, and media updates.

“Council’s focus remains on ensuring the community has a safe, reliable, and sustainable water supply.”

At last week’s initial announcement, mayor Darrell Tiemens said the community’s cooperation is needed, but the NSW government’s support is essential. And, with government enforced changes to guidelines being the cause of this situation the time had come for the state government to provide direct assistance.

“Water is everything to this community. Our children are playing in splash pads, our families rely on this water every day, and our schools, businesses, and aged care facilities cannot function without it,” Cr Tiemens said.

“We have been actively advocating for a long-term solution for some time and would have liked to see this problem resolved before reaching this point, but we are still waiting.

“Narrabri needs a treatment system in place within days, not months, to safeguard our supply!”

An emergency grant of $50,000 from the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) will allow council to install a larger pump at the Elizabeth Street bore.

While this will help narrow the gap between supply and demand, consumption is expected to increase further as the weather warms.

Narrabri Shire Council also announced it was tightening its own water use. Council announced the measures were in place for sporting fields and parks and gardens in Narrabri.

The Narrabri splashpad, located at Pirate Park, was also operating on amended hours to help conserve the town water supply, however, will become non-operational.

General manager Eloise Chaplain said council was committed to leading by example.

“Our focus is on keeping essential areas safe and functional while cutting back wherever we can. We encourage residents and businesses to join us by making simple changes,” Ms Chaplain said last week.

“Shorter showers, running full washing loads, switching off unnecessary outdoor watering, and checking for leaks are all great places to start. Every drop saved today helps prolong our supply for tomorrow.”

Council will continue to update the community as the situation develops. More information can be found at: www.narrabri.nsw.gov.au/waterrestrictions

What do level four restrictions mean?

Residential:
Garden watering: Handheld hoses only between 7 pm and 7 am.
Cleaning (footpaths, driveways, buildings, etc.): Not allowed.
Swimming pools: Filling new pools requires Council approval; topping up existing pools permitted.
Vehicle washing: Not allowed.

Commercial:
Lawns and gardens (including racecourse, bowling greens, golf course): Recycled water and handheld hoses only.
Schools and health care services: Handheld hoses between 7 pm and 7 am only.
Cleaning (footpaths, driveways, buildings, etc.): Recycled water only.
Washing of new or used cars for sale: Bucket washing only.

Council Facilities:
Public parks and gardens: Fixed hoses and sprinklers may only be used for up to 3 hours per day.
Public sports grounds and playing fields: Automatic sprinklers 1 hour per line every second night.
Splash parks: Non-operational.

Emergency services: Exempt from restrictions.