Tamworth drought management plan used to highlight Chaffey Dam pipeline 20 per cent trigger 'stupidity'

A community survey about the plan showed 43 per cent of respondents wrongly identified the council as the owner and operator of Chaffey Dam, and TRC made it clear on Tuesday that it's time to clear things up.

The pipeline only operates when Chaffey Dam levels are below 20 per cent, if it was used more often the trigger points for water restrictions could be vastly different, mayor Col Murray said.

"There doesn't seem to be any appetite to change that emergency management framework that decides the pipeline will only be on effectively when the dam is at 20 per cent capacity," he said.

So, the council plans to use its drought management plan to show the public just how different things could be if the pipeline was used 50, or 75 per cent of the time.

TRC general manager Paul Bennett said the review of the plan is a tremendous opportunity for the council to demonstrate the difference between the two scenarios.

"If they allowed us to use it all of the time, then this is where the trigger point would be," he said.

"It would allow us to demonstrate to the community the value of the asset and make the state government take some notice."

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Councillor Glenn Inglis agreed, and moved that the council make a formal note of identifying the difference.

"The GM just frightened me then because that's exactly what I was thinking," he said.

"We should be bold, and particularly with the pipeline issue.

"If the scenarios are substantially different that will absolutely highlight the stupidity of the 20 per cent threshold, because it's a nonsense."

The drought management plan review is underway and will be renamed the water management plan when completed.

A final draft is expected about November.

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