Critical groundwater expansion works of Dubbo’s water supply are ramping up with a $30 million grant to Dubbo Regional Council to help drought-proof the area.
NSW Nationals Member for Dubbo, Dugald Saunders, said, “This is about delivering water security to the community by enabling better access to groundwater and developing new technologies in the event of a cease-to-flow in the Macquarie River.
“We need to be looking at things like recycling wastewater, and how that can be used, to lighten the burden on our river and our underground aquifers.
“Without additional water supplies, the current water sources available to Dubbo would not be able to meet restricted demand if water supplies from the Macquarie River were unavailable.
“This could cause significant economic and social problems which we were able to avoid this time around thanks to welcomed rain.”
The $30 million investment includes the delivery of a groundwater pipeline network designed to link new and existing water sources to the Dubbo Water Treatment Plant
The $30 million grant to Dubbo Regional Council is part of the NSW Nationals in the State Government’s Drought Stimulus Package, a subset of the NSW Drought Response.
Since 2017, the NSW Nationals in the State Government has committed over $275 million to critical water infrastructure projects and town water carting for regional NSW.