BARRABA WATER SUPPLY

Page: 81

Mr PETER DRAPER (Tamworth) [6.02 p.m.]: Tonight I speak about the hardships experienced in the north-west town of Barraba resulting from a completely unreliable local water supply. Barraba is an award-winning tourist town located about 90 kilometres north-west of Tamworth. Over 400 farming properties contribute to the region's wealth, predominantly through cattle farming, wool and fat lamb production. Complex rock formations in the area make it attractive for fossickers and other tourists. There is a well-known series of trails for birdwatchers, and the town's quiet rural lifestyle also makes it an appealing settlement for retirees. Barraba's 1,200 residents are rightfully very proud of their town. Unfortunately, significant water shortages continue, and that is creating impediments to investment and employment. Growth has been hampered, and opportunities for residents and local business are limited by the lack of reliable water. Residents live with regular restrictions, which prevent the maintenance of gardens, force local sporting groups to compete on dead fields, and make local schoolchildren play on cathead infested playgrounds.

Barraba's water is currently sourced from three supplies: Barraba Creek and the Manilla River, with the Connors Creek Dam providing a back-up supply. The town is currently down to the last source and is again on level one restrictions. All of these sources have proven to be unreliable and generally of poor quality. As the drought has worsened in recent years, it has reinforced the urgent need to secure an alternative supply. There is a widespread community view that the only sustainable alternative is a pipeline from the nearby Split Rock Dam. Unfortunately, large amounts of money have been spent on exploratory drilling for ground water to prop up the supply.

The primary purpose of Split Rock Dam is to store irrigation water for the Namoi Valley. However, when constructed it was fitted with two designated town water off takes, which suggests it was also intended as a water supply for nearby townships. Split Rock offers good-quality water and a secure supply for Barraba compared to current sources. At just 360 megalitres, Connors Creek Dam does not have a suitable storage capacity or catchment, and decades of sedimentation have halved its capacity. Barraba Creek and the Manilla River are also unreliable, and the water quality is very poor from all three sources. Connors Creek Dam is often plagued by blue-green algae. The complete failure of these sources has occurred a number of times during the current drought, and with no end in sight a reliable supply must be a priority.

Split Rock is a 372,000-megalitre dam located 25 kilometres south-east of Barraba. It is estimated that Barraba's average annual demand would be about 350 megalitres. A 200-millimetre pipeline would be able to supply up to 1,000 megalitres at an estimated cost of $6.5 million, according to Tamworth Regional Council. That would open up enormous economic possibilities for the district. With its small population, it is unlikely that Barraba would be able to fund this venture without residents facing unrealistic water bills, so State Government assistance is vital. Given its location, natural resources and vibrant community, Barraba has the potential to boom with access to a reliable quality water supply. Like many country towns, providing local employment opportunities is the greatest challenge facing Barraba. Over recent years a number of industries have shown interest in investing in Barraba, but the continuing water issue has turned many away.

There are opportunities for the poultry industry, light manufacturing, expanded diatomite extraction and reworking of asbestos tailings for magnesium extraction. Investment in those industries would flow through to local and regional service industries and the building industry, should employment levels increase. In May this year, an exploration licence was awarded to IMC Pty Limited to explore the feasibility of reprocessing asbestos tailings into magnesium metals at the former Woodsreef asbestos mine. A possible $400 million rejuvenation of the mine would mean 100 new jobs and a multimillion dollar boost for the local economy, but this investment also needs reliable water.

Despite the Split Rock Dam offering an obvious solution to the problem, the Government has persisted in exploring the sparse ground water resources. Bores have been drilled on many occasions over the past 30 years, yielding few results. According to a 2004 study conducted by SKM, it would cost an estimated $5.62 million to set up 10 bores as a stand-alone supply to the town. Although this option is almost as costly as the pipeline, it would not guarantee supply due to the unreliability of ground water in the area. Recent ground water exploration in the area has cost the Government almost $200,000 with very disappointing results. Any further drilling is expected to cost the taxpayer many more tens of thousands of dollars.

Millions of dollars have been spent to prop up water supplies for metropolitan centres in New South Wales, while Barraba still languishes without a viable solution. Urgent consideration must be given to funding a pipeline from Split Rock so that Barraba can capitalise on the many opportunities available to it for future growth, and so its residents can enjoy a better quality of life. During a recent visit to Barraba I consulted with the community, and I am pleased to have secured funding for a new water tank at the showground and a new water tank at the rugby club. I am still working on an upgraded electricity supply for the showground, but good progress has been made on funding for toilets and disabled access to the new rugby clubhouse. I have secured funds to install steps in the local swimming pool. However, while all of these are important projects to the community, the need to provide a secure water supply is by far the most important issue. I look forward to working with the community to convince Tamworth Regional Council and the New South Wales Government that Barraba deserves to have this investment prioritised.

Proof, NSW Legislative Assembly Hansard, 19 October 2006.