"It never rains, but it pours," the old saying goes. 

Ironically, after suffering repeated flooding events in 2022 Lachlan Shire is now facing water issues of two vastly different kinds. 

Firstly, the Shire has issued a boiled water alert for residents in the Tottenham area and secondly, restrictions in water use are now in place.

Lachlan Shire Council last week warned against drinking unboiled water, due to the flushing of local pipelines made necessary after flooding in the Forbes and Parkes shires.

According to their social media pages, residents are advised that works are now in progress to flush the B-Section Pipeline water supply which can be a lengthy process.

NSW Health requires that the volume of water flushed is equal to the capacity of Albert and Tottenham Reservoirs, plus the volume held by the pipeline.

The flushing program commenced on 9 January but may take up to four weeks to complete due to the warm summer weather and higher residential demand.

The Lachlan Shire council advises that this will ensure the water supply is not too greatly reduced and is continuously available for the community. As the boil water alert is still currently in place, the community is reminded that precautions should be taken around water consumption. 

"After the original publication of the boil water notice, most people were following instructions but as time has gone by, less people are boiling their water for consumption," a Tottenham resident said. 

Council advises that water used for drinking or food preparation should be brought to a rolling boil to make it safe.

Don't just heat your water, a rolling boil is recommended.

Water should then be allowed to cool and stored in a clean container with a lid and refrigerated. Bottled water or cool boiled water should be used for drinking, washing uncooked food such as salad vegetables and fruit, making ice, cleaning teeth, gargling and for pet’s drinking water.

Children should take bottled water or cool boiled water to school and dishes should be washed in hot soapy water or in a dishwasher. 

Residents who have a special water need can contact council for service arrangements to be made. 

Tottenham area water supplies were further disrupted yesterday (Tuesday 31 January) when a break in the water main was detected, resulting in low pressure or no supply to homes and businesses.

Council staff worked quickly to repair the break and supply was restored within a few hours.

Water use restrictions now in place

Ironically, in spite of the significant wet season, Level One water restrictions are also in place across the entire Shire, with authorities citing a 200 per cent increase in water use in comparison to November, 2022. 

According to the Lachlan Shire Facebook page, this significant increase in demand over such a short period of time creates problems for Council’s water treatment plants.

All water treatment plants have a capacity limit on the volume of water they can be produced and current high demand is exceeding the capacity. 

A Tottenham resident told the Western Plains App that locals were used to water restrictions. 

"We are at the "end of the water line" and water restrictions are not uncommon. We also need to conserve water volume for emergency services," she said. 

Level One restrictions require gardens to only be watered between the hours of 6pm and 9am. Cars can be washed with buckets and rinsed on lawns with a trigger hose at any time.  

First fill and top up of public and private swimming pools is permitted and new turf may be irrigated for one week after laying. 

Lachlan Shire Council can be contacted for clarification of any water issues on (02) 6895 1900.