The quality of the water supply in Walgett Shire has come under question with the release of a report that shows, among other things, the presence of E coli in some of the water sources.
The Comprehensive State of the Environment Report 2004-2005 examines in detail the environmental issues of the shire and was tabled at the council meeting last Thursday.
Part of the report is an analysis of the shire's water supplies, which revealed Carinda and Rowena have both had E coli present in their drinking water.
In Carinda particularly there seems to be a problem with the bacteria, with 17 out of the 41 samples taken during the year returning positive results.
The contamination is being blamed on holes in the roof of the reservoir which allow bird droppings and small animals to enter the tank.
Water that remains idle within low flowing sections of the water mains is another possible contributor to the problem.
The report states: "In the previous year a new elevated reservoir was put in service with a view to addressing water quality problems, but community complaints about lack of water pressure led to the old reservoir being put back in service. With the recommissioning of the old reservoir, contamination began to occur again."
To try to address the problem council has flushed the mains and carried out regular chlorination to destroy the bacteria. They are also working towards bringing the newer reservoir back into permanent service, with measures in place to ensure adequate water pressure.
In Rowena the E coli problem was less severe. Only one sample of the 13 taken showed the bacteria was present, and spot chlorination appears to have eliminated the contamination.
However, Rowena's water is far from satisfactory and classified as "not fit for drinking" due to its high salinity.
The levels of sodium and total dissolved solids are used to gauge the salt content of the water supply.
The Australian Drinking Water Guidelines recommends a sodium level of 180mg/L and total dissolved solids of 500mg/L. Rowena shows average levels of 1131mg/L and 3350mg/L respectively, both a little over six times higher than they should be.
The water in Rowena has been of concern for some time now and plans are under way to replace the existing bore with a new one that will use a less saline aquifer.
In comparison the water in Lightning Ridge is a lot better, with a slightly elevated sodium reading of 221mg/L and a pH reading of 8.6 when the recommended maximum is 8.5, but according to Sheridan Maher this is nothing to be concerned about.
"Those are figures that are well within the ballpark of what you would expect in a town that uses bore water," she said, adding that in general the state of the shire's water is pretty good.
"It would seem there are no major health issues there, as long as council is doing something about the E coli problem."
Collarenebri apparently has the best water supply and was the only town or village with no readings that exceeded the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.
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