Walgett drinking water now being sourced from Namoi River

Community leaders had expressed "deep concerns" about the poor quality of the area's drinking water, with almost half of the town's Indigenous population reporting, via a survey, that they've been without drinkable water for more than a month.

Researchers from UNSW found the town's drinking water has 15 times the level of sodium than what is recommended for long-term consumption by people with hypertension or renal and heart issues.

Minister for Water Rose Jackson, who visited the town last Friday, April 28, following concerns over the poor water quality, said the taste and quality of town water should improve over the coming days.

"This is such great news. The residents of Walgett deserve to have access to clean, drinkable and palatable water like other communities around the state," Ms Jackson said.

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"We've started today [Wednesday] but switching the plant to river water is a complex process that takes time, which is why it will be happening in stages over the next week.

It's been three years since the Namoi River was used as the main water source for the town, and the salty bore water needs to be flushed out of the water network before residents will notice the difference.

"It has taken far too long for the switch over to happen, and it will still take some time for the treated river water to flush through the system to people's taps. But this is significant progress," Ms Jackson said.

"The great news is we have experienced water operators from my department on the ground supporting Walgett Council staff and overseeing the transition to help troubleshoot if there are any issues.

"I want to specifically make a shout out to the engineers and plant staff at Walgett Council and Department of Planning and Environment - Water who made this possible - these frontline workers keep our state working and we owe them so much."

Member for Barwon Roy Butler joined Rose Jackson in Walgett where they toured the water treatment facility as it prepared for the change from bore water to river water.

"The changeover should be seamless and should improve water quality. I will continue communicating with the water minister to ensure that Walgett and other communities have palatable water in which they can have some confidence," Mr Butler said.

Mr Butler has renewed his calls for a water audit across NSW. He said while the top priority is getting palatable safe drinking water in Walgett, the next step is to look at the infrastructure that makes the system more resilient.

Ms Jackson also thanked the community for their "patience and understanding".

"As we transition over to river water, we will be closely monitoring water quality and will immediately update the community if anything changes," she said.

"I recognise the community has been waiting an unacceptably long time to have their water issues resolved, but I am pleased that I was able to sit down with residents in-person to hear their side of the story," Ms Jackson said.

"More importantly, that I was able to fast-track work on the ground that will enable them to have access to cleaner, more palatable drinkable water within days.

"I taste-tested the bore water and it was difficult to drink because of the sodium levels, even though it is safe and technically meets Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.

"The reality is the bores were never designed to be used for long-term water supply. They were installed in the state's worst drought to be used in times of emergency."

In May 2020 a reverse osmosis desalination machine was brought into the town in response to community concerns, however, only a few months later in September it ceased operating due to waste disposal issues.

"The reverse osmosis plant, which removes sodium and softens the bore water, will be reinstated mid-year to address the salty taste if the bores are needed in the future," Ms Jackson said.

In addition, Ms Jackson said, NSW Health has carried out water testing on April 27 to address community concerns about pesticides in the river, and "I can confirm that pesticides were not detected in the water".

She said the council will continue to carry out regular testing for pesticides until the end of June to give residents "peace of mind" and to help with the transition to river water.

Council will also continue regular testing of drinking water supplies to ensure they comply with Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.

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