New South Wales is carrying out up to $1 billion in water infrastructure projects across the state as part of its Safe and Secure Water Program.
More than 260 projects are now underway as part of the program, the most significant of which includes the $17 million replacement of the Broken Hill sewerage treatment plant.
The Forbes Shire Council is also being supported, with $4.6 million committed by the NSW Government to deliver two new production bores, two test bores and a 5.3km duplication pipeline connected to the Forbes water treatment plant.
This infrastructure provides water security for when the region’s primary water supply, the Lachlan River, is too low or unsuitable for treatment, boosting capacity by 80 per cent and easing pressure on the system during dry spells.
“Forbes was one of the many Central West communities hit hard by the last drought, the state’s worst on record, which is why we are working collaboratively with Forbes Shire Council to help lock-in better water security,” NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water director of grants programs Kirsty Fenton said.
“New infrastructure is the key to putting towns like Forbes in a stronger position to manage critical town water supply during a drought emergency.”
Previous drought conditions saw Forbes rely on two emergency bores for a six-month period, a situation Forbes Shire Council mayor Phyllis Miller said “was a struggle”.
“That’s why we’re doing everything we can to expand our existing network to ensure we have the right infrastructure at hand to continue delivering safer and more secure water to residents no matter what comes our way,” she said.
Forbes Shire Council is contributing $3 million to the project, with completion set for October 2027.
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