Tamworth water: council to make a submission on draft Namoi Water Sharing Plan to state government and DPIE

It will make a submission to the draft Namoi Regional Water Strategy, that brings together climate advice and solutions to the city's water challenges for at least the next two decades.

A new critical human needs water license raised eyebrows among councillors who felt it could put hundreds of abattoir jobs at risk, given 50 per cent of the town's water is used by businesses.

A critical human needs license would mean that in extreme, prolonged dry periods - human needs would be prioritised over commercial uses.

The state government and Department of Primary Industry and Environment (DPIE) should be aware the whole state relies on the meat that comes out of Tamworth, Cr Glenn Inglis said.

"As we know NSW is dependent on that production - we need it in there somewhere that that unique set of circumstances is recognised," he said.

The council added the new Chaffey Dam pipeline to its submission and argued it should be used all the time, not just when dam levels drop below 20 per cent.

A pipeline to Lake Keepit as an emergency back-up plan should also be scoped out, Cr Inglis said.

The submission argues water security shouldn't just be assessed on present demand, but the needs of the future population.

And, it points out there is a lack of incentive for locals to save water if the savings are just sold off to another customer.

Cr Phil Betts wants an investigation into the link between the Peel alluvium and groundwater - and to look at Copeton Dam as an supply along with Lake Keepit.

"That's one of the biggest issues that caused us to run out of water last year," he said.

Read also:

Cr Russell Webb said the submission is well-collated and one of the first that takes the council's issues into account.

"Hopefully they will listen and I think maybe they might this time - this would be the first time since I've been involved in local government that they have been serious about where we're headed in terms of water security," he said.

Submissions to the draft close April 14, the motion passed unanimously.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: