Government funding of $46 million for water security

Cobar Water Board chairman Doug
McKay welcomed a funding announcement
on Monday of $46 million for the construction
of three new pump stations at Nyngan,
Hermidale and Cobar to improve our water
reliability.
NSW Minister for Lands and Water Kevin
Anderson flew into Cobar on Monday to make
the funding announcement after the Australian
Government agreed to co-fund the $46 million
project with the NSW Government.
“Safe and secure water is a basic human
right,” Minister Anderson said.
“The current pump stations were constructed
decades ago and are well past their design life
with the ageing machinery requiring constant
maintenance.
“This causes major disruptions to Cobar’s
town water supply and comes at a considerable
cost to water users.
“There was a serious threat that the mines
would be affected and would be shut down,
the town itself, the growth of the town, tourism,
the whole lot if this project was not addressed
very, very quickly,” Mr Anderson
said.
He said part of the upgrade would include
new technology to regulate water flow from
the Bogan weir pools, and from Nyngan to
Cobar as well.
“The pump stations will ensure water gets
where it needs to go, improving water reliability
for the town’s 4,000 residents along with
local businesses and the mining industry.
“That’s what we want to see, more efficiency
and better water management because every
drop counts.
“Work on the business case began mid last
year and we have been very proactive about
accelerating this project,” the Minister said.
Mr McKay said the past couple of years
have been “a very worrying time” for the Cobar
Water Board.
“We’ve been continually frustrated by our
inability to provide the service that we are
statutorily obliged to provide to this community,”
Mr McKay said on Monday.
“It’s been a battle, literally, from day to day
quite often, as one break down often leads to
another, either in the pumps or the pipeline.”
Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce said
the Federal Government is committed to getting
this project up and going.
“The new pump stations will be larger to
cater for expected future growth in demand,
and will use new technology to regulate water
flow and pressure as it travels more than 125
kilometres from the Bogan weir pools at Nyngan
to Cobar where it will be used for residential
and commercial use,” Deputy Prime Minister
Barnaby Joyce said.
“Joining forces with the NSW Government
enables us to fast track the delivery of these
pump stations while the final business case is
confirmed for a new pipeline between Nyngan
and Cobar.”
Federal Member for Parkes Mark Coulton
said the pump station upgrade project was a
win for the Cobar community and will ultimately
provide long-term water security and
drought resilience for the region.