Govt releases Peel Valley water report, following community pressure

The Leader revealed the 2018/19 Peel Valley water balance report showed more than 6000 megalitres was "unaccounted" for, however the report was not available to the public.

Many from the community called for the report to be released, including Tamworth mayor Col Murray, councillor Mark Rodda and a number of irrigators.

A Water NSW spokesperson said the report was published on the agency's website on Tuesday, in response to community concerns.

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"The Peel report was one of a small number undergoing secondary review to confirm its accuracy, given the level of public interest in water management information across the state," the Water NSW spokesperson said.

"The review process needed to be prioritised against the demands of managing water resources for communities and other critical needs across the state during the enduring drought crisis."

Water NSW say the unaccounted water - which is more than half a year's worth of drinking water - is due to "river evaporation, seepage, overbank flows and any measurement errors recording other components".

In the past decade, the Peel Valley has only had one other instance of unaccounted for water in 2010/11, when one per cent of the valley's water was missing.

The most recent report also reveals Tamworth residents used just over 8900 megalitres, while local irrigators used about 9300 megalitres.