For the first time in five years, Walgett in north-western NSW is set to have access to safe drinking water — but a long-term staffing solution for the town's water treatment plant is yet to be found.
Since the Namoi River ran dry during drought in 2018, residents have been forced to rely on poorly quality, salty bore water, which locals have described as "slippery" and "filth".
In recent years, the town's water treatment plant failed to handle turbidity and blue-green algae in water from the river.
Walgett Shire Council has also struggled to find staff to run the treatment plant due to a shortage of skilled workers.
On Wednesday, the council began the process of transitioning the water treatment plant's source back to the Namoi River, but state Water Minister Rose Jackson warned it was a "complex process".
"It's going to take a few days for the bore water to wash through the taps, and the taste is still going to be a little bit off for the next few days," she said.
Ms Jackson said previous excuses, including the worker shortage, were no longer valid and that the state government should have taken responsibility for the situation a long time ago.
"It's not acceptable that communities are drinking poorer back-up sources of water for years and years," she said.
A local council apprentice technician has been trained to run the water treatment plant in the short-term, with support from the Department of Planning and Environment.
Drought-proofing water quality
During future droughts the town may need to return to local bore water, which experts have determined has sodium levels 15 times higher than medical practitioners recommend for long-term consumption by people with severe hypertension or renal and heart issues.
The Walgett region has a high prevalence of such chronic conditions.
A reverse osmosis plant, which removes sodium and softens the bore water, was installed in 2020 and worked briefly before encountering logistical and waste issues.
The state government plans to reinstate it by mid-year.
"The reality is the bores were never designed to be used for long-term water supply," Ms Jackson said in a statement.
"They were installed in the state's worst drought to be used in times of emergency,"
Water audit needed across regional NSW
In the long term, state Member for Barwon Roy Butler wants a "baseline audit" of all domestic water supplies across regional NSW.
"In every one of my 13 local government areas and the unincorporated area, there are risk points or weak points … with water," he said.
"Every council has towns that have problems with water or need investment in infrastructure."
Mr Butler is pushing for necessary water infrastructure upgrades to be completed within the next three to four years.
"There's going to be times in the future no doubt where towns have to go back on to bore water, because if we don't see rain and we don't see flows out of Queensland then there's no water in the river," he said.
"But making sure that that supply is palatable, and that people have confidence in it is really the priority."
Water testing was conducted in the Namoi by NSW Health following community concerns about pesticides in the river.
Ms Jackson said no pesticides were detected and regular testing would continue until the end of June.
The council will also continue regular drinking water tests to ensure it complies with the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.
In a statement Walgett Shire Council said the town's water quality was currently in compliance and it was working with the Department of Planning and Environment to monitor its ongoing quality.
