Communities in the New England region have been rocked by the confirmation that uranium is in their water supply.
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How it happened
Bore future decided
October 6: Tamworth Regional Council won’t use the Moonbi-Kootingal bores for “a very long time”, after it was revealed one has shown high levels of uranium for at least two years.
Related: Water scare a wake up call
October 6: In the wake of the Moonbi-Kootingal uranium drinking water scare, one council has taken swift action to make sure its water supply is safe. Read on.
The two villages were switched over to town water in August and council’s water director Bruce Logan said Tamworth could support the water needs of Moonbi and Kootingal “indefinitely”. Read on.
Bendemeer residents notified of water supply contamination
October 5: Tamworth Regional Council dropped off 200 letters to the residents of Bendemeer about the high levels of uranium in the town’s back-up bore – but most are yet to receive one. Read on.
Residents say the shock is wearing off
October 5: The initial shock of hearing the words “uranium” and “water” in the same sentence has worn off for most Kootingal and Moonbi residents.
On Tuesday, it was revealed that one of the towns’ bores had shown elevated uranium levels for at least two years. Read on.
Tests reveal extent of Bendemeer-Kootingal-Moonbi contamination
October 4: Tests have revealed Bendemeer’s drinking water has been contaminated with elevated levels of uranium since 2015, while Kootingal and Moonbi's water has been contaminated for at least two years.
Tamworth Regional Council said it tests for metals, including uranium, in drinking water every six months, which has left a question mark over the length of exposure for residents. Read on.
Fallout from uranium scare continues
October 4: Tamworth Regional Council has apologised to Kootingal, Moonbi and Bendemeer for an “oversight”, which left residents’ drinking water with high levels of uranium for at least two years.
Council’s water director Bruce Logan said the region’s drinking water had been tested for uranium every six months since 2014, however staff failed to notice levels had exceeded Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (ADWG). Read on.
Council fronts the media in first reponse
September 8: Hunter New England Health (HNEH) has revealed it was only notified of Kootingal's uranium contaminated bore towards the end of August - nearly six weeks after the guideline breach was discovered. Read on.
