$960k in Funding for Cabonne Water Security
Published on 22 April 2020
Cabonne Council will soon begin work on the upgrade of access to groundwater for the town of Molong thanks to a $960,000 grant from the NSW Government
Cabonne Mayor, Cr Kevin Beatty, welcomed the Government’s announcement of funding as great news for Cabonne and those residents reliant on the Molong Creek Dam water supply.
“With dam levels historically low, funding for water security measures such as this will set the community in good stead to withstand the effects of drought well into the future”
“Council staff have been working hard for many months to find suitable alternative water supply solutions and it is gratifying to see the project supported by Minister Pavey with funding from the NSW Government”
NSW Upper House MP Sam Farraway said the development of an existing bore and the drilling of two new bores will support the small town of Molong and could provide water to other small towns in the Cabonne region.
“Since the end of February, the council has been relying on water from Orange, which is being supplied via a recently completed pipeline. “The council acted quickly to complete the pipeline project and protect water security for its smaller towns.
“The water from Orange comes at an extra cost to the community of Molong and part of the NSW Government’s funding is provided to temporarily reduce this burden.
“To further reduce the cost to the community, Cabonne Council has developed a plan to provide a longer-term solution for the residents and businesses of the area by improving access to groundwater.
“The council has proposed the development of an existing bore and the drilling and development of two new bores, which will be connected to the water treatment plant and potentially supply around 40 percent of Molong’s water needs.
“It was great to see Cabonne Council and the NSW Government working together and achieving this”.
Minister for Water, Housing and Property Melinda Pavey said while recent rains in some part of the state have brought relief to some regions, around 85 percent of NSW is still in drought.