RESIDENTS in Urbenville, Muli Muli, and Woodenbong in northern New South Wales have access to safer and more reliable drinking water with a critical $3.5 million infrastructure project to expand the Urbenville Water Treatment Plant now complete.
The upgrade was made possible through $1.42 million from the Australian Government’s National Water Grid Fund, $2 million from the NSW Government’s Drought Fund and $100,000 from Tenterfield Shire and Kyogle Councils.
The landmark project will improve water quality and boost drought resilience across the three villages while increasing the plant’s service capacity, ensuring first-rate drinking water continues to flow well into the future.
Despite being built in 2010, the original plant was in desperate need of an upgrade with the original technology struggling to manage the increasingly variable raw water quality.
As part of the overhaul, two new clarifier lagoons have been built that will pre-treat the raw water sourced from Tooloom Creek, giving existing filters a leg up to keep producing high-quality drinking water even during low-quality periods.
A new bore and storage tanks have been brought online, providing a valuable back-up supply and lifeline for residents during drought conditions.
The existing jetty offtake structure has also been upgraded, and new cages have been installed to protect the pumps from excess river debris which can build up during wet weather.
This also marks the final project to complete construction under the National Water Grid’s NSW Connections package – which has seen 3 critical projects in Walcha, West Wyalong and now Urbenville delivered in NSW thanks to over $30 million in joint funding.
Acting Federal Minister for Water, Catherine King said:
“Everyone deserves clean and reliable drinking water, no matter where they live.
“This project has future-proofed water security for local residents and I’m incredibly pleased to see these critical upgrades now complete.
“Locals in Urbenville, Muli Muli and Woodenbong are now in the best possible position ahead of the next dry spell for the region.
“This is a win for these communities and a win for New South Wales.”
NSW Minister for Water Rose Jackson said:
“This upgrade to the Urbenville Water Treatment Plant is a gamechanger for the area, and another example of all levels of government coming together to achieve big things for the people of NSW.
“The last drought hit people in the region incredibly hard, which is why it was so important to get their water infrastructure upgraded and working to modern-day standards.
“It’s a fantastic result and will mean safe and secure water for generations to come.”
NSW Minister for the North Coast Janelle Saffin said:
“This is great example of what can happen when all three levels of government work together to make people’s everyday lives better.
“We haven’t just delivered the clean water that these communities deserve, we’ve also delivered an upgrade to make Tenterfield and Kyogle Shires more resilient during future droughts.
“I’d like to thank the Federal and State governments for working together with our local Shire Councils to get this project up and running.”
Mayor of Tenterfield Shire Council Bronwyn Petrie said:
“This is a landmark day for Urbenville, Muli Muli, and Woodenbong.
“It has been three years in the making, and we’ve had our fair share of setbacks, but we are now able to cut the ribbon on this incredible water treatment upgrade and deliver a secure water future for these communities.
“Thanks to crucial investments from the Australian and NSW Governments, the co-funding from Councils and a lot of hard work and collaboration, we have now crossed the finish line.”
Mayor of Kyogle Council Danielle Mulholland said:
“This is a great result for these villages. Clean and reliable water is essential to everyone, and more than 400 people across Muli Muli and Woodenbong alone will now reap the benefits of these upgrades.
“We are grateful to all levels of Government who contributed to this exceptional project and supported this fantastic outcome for our community.”
BETTER TREATMENT: View of second lagoon in operation and bore tank.
