Walgett's switch to river water complete and successful

Sodium levels are now under 80 milligrams per litre.

Prior to the switch the sodium content of Walgett's water supply was 15 times higher than recommended for long-term consumption by people with severe hypertension or renal and heart issues.

Minister for Water Rose Jackson said the town has been on river water permanently for the past seven days and the water treatment plant is working effectively to treat it to a high standard, "which is great news".

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"It is imperative that people have access to safe drinking water and that the Walgett community know the status of their water supply.

"I have said several times, there is no quick fix when it comes to addressing water issues in remote areas. These things always take time. However, I want to thank our water experts for going the extra mile to support Walgett Council as they have worked to resolve these issues and perfect the river water treatment process."

Ms Jackson also thanked the local community for their patience and said sodium levels are now well below the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines' limit of 180 milligrams per litre.

"What this means is the river water treatment process is spot on and that local residents are now getting clean drinking water that has very little salt content which has improved the quality and taste of the town water supply," she said.

The minister said council workers had to switch back and forth between bore and river water during the initial switchover as they got up to scratch with the more complex river water treatment process, and to enable them to carry out minor upgrades to the plant.

But she said bore water will always be in the mix.

"The bores were installed to provide Walgett with an alternative water source to lean on during droughts and other emergencies such as bushfires and floods, and when there are issues with the river water treatment process," she said.

"But Council's intention is to use the Namoi River as its permanent day-to-day town water supply and, so far, the process is working well.

The minister said the reverse osmosis plant will also be overhauled so it can filter sand and sodium levels whenever they need to rely solely on bore water.

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