Water win as Walgett switches to river water
Walgett water quality has improved significantly since the town switched to river water permanently last week – with sodium levels now under 80 milligrams per litre.
NSW Minister for Water, Rose Jackson said that successfully switching from bore water to river water in Walgett was one of her key priorities as Water Minister.
“The town has been on river water permanently for the past 14 days and the water treatment plant is working effectively to treat it to a high standard which is great news,” Ms Jackson said.
“It is imperative that people have access to safe drinking water and that the Walgett community know the status of their water supply.
Acting General Manager of the Walgett Shire Council, Hugh Percy, said that residents will have noticed that the taste and feel of their water has improved.
“The town water supply is currently being sourced from the Namoi River with the treatment plant producing good quality water,” Mr Percy said.
“Switching the supply from bore to river water was always going to take time to perfect because it is the first time since 2020 that the town has relied on the more complex river water treatment process”.
The plant required some minor upgrades to make the transition to river water and staff from the NSW Department of Planning and Environment and Sydney Water have been on-site over the past few weeks to monitor the process and carry out water quality testing.
Mr Percy also said that Walgett Council has engaged new water operations staff who are being trained on the river water treatment plant.
Read more in the printed edition of The Western Herald.
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