Minister for Water, Housing & Homelessness, Rose Jackson has taken to social media with her plans after a meeting with leaders in her department yesterday. 

It follows the explosive release of a report by University of New South Wales experts and medical researchers from the George Institute for Global Health, which warned that the content of Walgett's water supply is 15 times higher in sodium than medical practitioners recommend for long-term consumption by people with severe hypertension or renal and heart issues. 

"Today we convened an Executive level meeting to deal with the water crisis in Walgett," she posted.  

"It is unacceptable to me that people in this state don't have access to clean drinking water." 

The Minister went on to say she would be taking "immediate first steps." 

She should there be support staff appointed in Walgett to help fix the water treatment plant and get it back online To start "the work to get better long-term staffing of the water treatment plant" and prioritise "reverse osmosis issues." 

Image: ABC News

Minister Jackson said she would ensure the water is "tested for pesticides" and work "directly with the local community and local Aboriginal leaders to distribute information and health advice." 

"These are just some short-term things we can do right now," she said It is clear that there are systemic issues with water access in NSW - there is so much work to do. 

Wendy Spencer from the Dharriwaa Elders Group told the Western Plains App it was "Excellent" that Minister Jackson "responded so quickly to our concerns". 

"She has only been Water Minister for such a short period, so we are very grateful she is responding to our appeals and is helping us". 

The UNSW report found that the combination of climate change and systematic water mismanagement across the Murray-Darling Basin has threatened the quality and quantity of Walgett's surface waters. 

"While drought impacts overall flow, upstream industry threatens river quality and quantity through over-extraction and pollution," the report says. 

"When the rivers run dry or are unsafe, the town switches its supply to bore water from the Great Artesian Basin, which has high sodium levels." 

The Aboriginal Community-Controlled Organisations (ACCOs) in Walgett are calling on the NSW Government to establish an independent, multi-agency task force to address the intolerable situation where drinking water supplied to the town and surrounds is bore water that is so high in sodium it poses a threat to community members with existing health conditions. 

Meanwhile, Walgett Shire Council has advised residents it has switched from bore water to filtered water.

"These changes may impact the aesthetics of water the community are currently used to" the council said in a statement.

"Council would like to reassure residents these changes were planned and will be highly monitored and tested to ensure they continue to meet the standards set out by the NSW Department of Health and abide by the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines".

Minister Jackson is traveling to Walgett to meet with community leaders next week. 

Wendy Spencer from the Dharriwaa Elders Group said she hoped to bring "independent experts who understand reverse osmosis" to the meeting.