Warren residents can sleep easier after the completion of a 2.5 kilometre pipeline that will secure water for firefighting, announced 15 July.

Warren had relied on the Macquarie River for firefighting supply and uses bore water for drinking.

However, the new pipeline between two sub-artesian bores site at Bore Flat and Ellengerah Road connects to the town's river main, giving fire fighters another option in dry times. 

"Now we can connect our bore water system, which is a continuous supply because of that sub-artesian basin connection, into our river water, which then makes sure that our fire supply is 100 per cent guaranteed," Warren Shire General Manager Gary Woodman said.

Three special values systems only allow flow in one direction towards the river mains, which prevents river water from contaminating the drinking supply.

Warren mayor Milton Quigley said the project may have been a long time coming, but he was pleased to see it cross the finish line.

Warren faced drought in the mid-late 2010s that seriously threatened it's firefighting supply when river flows ceased. PHOTO: River McCrossen

The project had been delayed due to floods and COVID.

“Having limited firefighting capacity during a drought is a significant risk to our community," Cr Quigley said in a media release.

“For the first time, this project will offer us access to bore water for firefighting, which will help to boost community safety when there are extremely low flows in the Macquarie River or if flows in the river are below the Warren Weir and are suspended."

The project began in February 2020 and completed in April 2024.

The pipeline is part of a $1 million project funded by the NSW government, which included a new one megalitre water storage tank at Bore Flat and a "state-of-the-art" chlorination system at each bore site.

Lisa Hingerty, Executive Director of Development at the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, said the system means Warren residents will get reliably safer drinking water.

“Through this million-dollar investment, we’ve been able to build Warren a robust groundwater system that gives residents more reliable access to drinking water, while also providing an alternative source for firefighting," Ms Hingerty said.

“It’s great to see this project crossing the finish line months ahead of the next bushfire season with Warren in a much stronger position to protect its community during an emergency.”