A drop in session was held at Baker Park last Thursday to inform the community of the progress of the proposed new bore to supplement the town water supply. Interestingly, the presenters, Maddy, Chris and Shaun, were able to explain a few details that probably have not been conveyed properly to the community.

The proposed bore is actually a separate entity for the assurance of water for the town, and nothing to do with the weir programme and does not come out of the weir bucket of funding.

The hydrogeologist will investigate in the next 2 weeks, a possible site for a bore, with the best chance of near fresh water, and more importantly in a different aquifer to the current 2 bores. This will apparently be an independent project to ensure a water supply for the town in a prolonged period of no flow in our river.

It was made abundantly clear to the Water department persons present that the community will not accept in any way the revised design of the weir and will only accept exactly what we were promised. It’s quite simple really, in laymen terms. We require a weir 5km down stream, (site picked), 3 foot higher than the current weir, (town water security), with a release gate mechanism to help stock and domestic down stream to survive and assist the connectivity of the Darling river. In other words, what we were promised 2 years ago.  

This article appeared in  Wilcannia News, September 2024.