NSW Drought: Groundwater bores prove saving grace for Liverpool Plains towns

Communities in Quirindi and Willow Tree are reliant on groundwater that hasn't yet shown signs of duress.

Just an hour down the road, Tamworth residents face the prospect of a dwindling Chaffey Dam, at just 13.7 per cent.

The $28 million Quipolly Water Project that goes to tender in January will shore up supplies, Liverpool Plains Shire Council mayor Andrew Hope said

"It will give us the ability if the dam water becomes too toxic or too low, to switch the dam off and supply Werris Creek with underground supply from Quirindi which has enough water to do it," he said.

"Effectively once that system is built, our major towns will be drought-proof.

"Or as drought-proof as you can be."

The project will secure the Werris Creek water supply and help manage bore water in Quirindi with a state-of-the-art water treatment plant and a pipeline to both towns.

Werris Creek is supplied by Quipolly Dam, the biggest issue there isn't water levels but how fast it can be treated.

Water restrictions have been put in place to slow down the usage, Cr Hope said.

"As a council we've done what we can in the communities and they're in a pretty good place because of it," he said.

"Some of the villages at the moment are running on bores that are pretty good.

"But once you get out of those footprints, a couple of kilometres out of town on a farm you're relying on tank water - those people are really hurting."

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The Werris Creek water treatment plant is a two-year build.

Cr Hope wants to see it underway as soon as possible, and for their to be more forward-thinking.

"We need to be investing in water infrastructure, pipelines, dams - whatever needs to be done," he said.

"There needs to be some really big picture stuff done at a government level to make sure this doesn't happen again."

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