The Murrurundi water pipeline opened today and the town’s water restrictions have been eased to level 2.

Two million litres of water a day, is able to be pumped to the town from Glenbawn Dam, via Scone. This is also a significant step in the creation of water reticulation system for villages along the pipeline.

At the opening, Michael Johnsen MP, Member for Upper Hunter said the pipeline and village connections are part of the NSW Government’s ongoing commitment to water infrastructure for regional communities, through the Water Security for Regions program and the $1 billion Safe and Secure Water program.

As well as being on schedule, the project is within the $14.2 million budget, with over $13 million in funding provided by the NSW Government’s Water Security for Regions program established under the Restart NSW Fund. The remainder of the project funding is provided by Upper Hunter Shire Council.

Mayor Wayne Bedggood said the completion of the pipeline would immediately change everyday life in Murrurundi and in the long term would help the town to flourish.

The infrastructure – 40kms of pipes, three pump stations, and two 450,000 litre storage tanks – was tested over the last few months. The town, which has always used the Pages River as its water source, has endured serious shortages for many periods in its history. Murrurundi residents have been on level 6 restrictions since July 2018.

When the river ran dry, the town’s water was trucked from Scone most days from January 2019 and Council thanks the carting contractors for their efforts. The total cost of carting water was over $675,000, of which around $290,000 will be subsidised by the NSW Government. The water supply has also been supplemented by a $250,000 emergency water bore, also subsidised by the NSW Government, which has contributed approximately 60 million litres of water since late 2019 – saving 2400 water carting trips from Scone.

Council has received a $2,666,400 grant subsidy from the NSW Government’s Safe and Secure Water Program toward the water supply systems for Blandford, Parkville and Wingen and a new, larger reservoir for Murrurundi. This funding is in addition to the $1,736,000 already allocated to village reticulation and reservoirs from the original Restart NSW Grant. The tender was awarded in January for the design of the village reticulation systems.