Burst main near New England Highway brings Moonbi residents 'milky' water

A council spokesperson has revealed the cause of a ruptured water main which sent off-colour water to residents in Moonbi on Wednesday, July 17.

"It was a split pipe and these can happen in cold weather, due to the age of the pipe or a defect in the pipe," the spokesperson said.

"The team turned off the water at approximately 5.30pm and had water back on to residents in Moonbi around 6pm (supplied through an alternate route with potentially lowered pressure). A team had the main fixed and recharging by 9.30pm."

The water main broke between Kootingal and Moonbi somewhere around 1895 New England Highway.

Earlier:

Residents in Moonbi found suspicious-looking water running from their taps on Thursday morning, July 18, after surviving a night of having little to no water at all.

A water main off the New England Highway just south of the small town ruptured around 5pm on Wednesday, July 17, leaving most residents with very low water pressure or no running water entirely.

A spokesperson for Tamworth Regional Council said a repair crew was sent to the scene about an hour after the pipe burst and water was restored to most homes by 9pm.

"Water has been restored to almost all homes in Moonbi with water to be restored to the remainder very soon," the council spokesperson said in a media release sent out that night.

"Residents are advised the water from your taps will have a milky appearance due to the air mixed in with the water. However, the water quality is not impacted and it remains safe to drink."

But some residents said their water quality got worse before it got better.

"The water in my loo cistern is the colour of cow poo. I'm running my taps to try and clear it. It isn't 'milky', it's dark brown," one Moonbi resident said on Facebook.

The council spokesperson said repairs on the water main are expected to be fully completed by noon on Thursday, July 18, which should resolve the discolouration issue.

The cause of damage to the main is unknown, but the council spokesperson said more information will be forthcoming later today.