Aboriginal elders in western New South Wales say they will provide free filtered drinking water for their remote community after repeated failures by the state and local government to do so.
NSW Water Minister Rose Jackson visited Walgett in April to announce a return to water from the Namoi River by May 3, as part of a "short-term" solution to fix the town's long-term water quality issues.
Less than four days afterward it switched back to high-sodium bore water after the water treatment plant again failed to process the poor-quality river water.
Additionally, council was forced to turn off its reverse osmosis machine as it could not handle the sheer volume of salty brine water it was producing as a waste by-product.
Dharriwaa Elders Group treasurer Ricky Townsend said they would take matters into their own hands and install a reverse osmosis machine in the main street to provide free chilled and filtered water for locals.
"We all know the drinking water isn't safe — and the survey we did in our community confirmed that people are having to buy drinking water," Mr Townsend said.
"None of this work would have been needed if the NSW government and Walgett Shire Council fixed the town's reverse osmosis system."
The machine is being paid for out of the group's existing funds, with a plumbing company from Newcastle donating its services to install it.
Walgett Shire Council did not respond to questions from the ABC about what caused the problems.
In a statement, acting general manager Hugh Percy said they were working hard to get the town back on river water.
"As previously advised, this is a complex process that takes time to ensure the water treatment and supply are fully stable," he said.
"DPE Water is continuing to provide experienced water operators on the ground who are working with Walgett council staff and overseeing the transition to help deliver a stable system in the coming weeks."
Mr Townsend said they wanted a more long-term solution to the water insecurity their community had faced for years.
The Dharriwaa Elders Group has sent Ms Jackson a list of demands to stop the river from being drained and to improve the health of the system.
"Flood plain harvesting has to stop — we want to see enforcement of extraction limits, bigger fines for water theft, and our rivers returned to proper health," Mr Townsend.
"Our rivers are dying. We need governments to act."
Ms Jackson said the transition from bore water to river water had been delayed due to parts arriving later than expected.
She said the treatment plant had switched back to river water, which would begin flushing bore water out of the system.
"It also takes time for bore water to be flushed out of the water network, but the taste of the water should have already begun to improve," Ms Jackson said.
"The good news is that the treatment process is now working well, and the 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."
