The NSW Labor Government has failed to ensure PFAS-affected communities have access to clean water before summer, despite ample warnings from councils and water advocates.
Narrabri Shire Council has been forced to escalate water restrictions from level two to level four within a week, following a sharp and ongoing drop in the town's primary water storage levels.
Since July, only one of Narrabri's three bores has been actively supplying the town's water network due to the detection of PFAS at levels that exceed the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.
Only now has the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment, and Water (DCCEEW) responded with an emergency grant of $50,000 to enable the council to install a larger pump at their only active bore.
However, the Shadow Minister for Water, Steph Cooke, said the grant will do nothing to ensure the community's long-term water security ahead of what the Bureau of Meteorology is predicting will be a hot and dry summer for inland NSW.
"Instead of equipping this community with the resources and infrastructure they had been calling for since last year, the NSW Labor Government has waited for Narrabri council to enact a level 4 water restriction before offering any degree of financial support, and it's a miserly amount at best," Ms Cooke said.
"I am urgently calling on the Minister to order the immediate delivery of clean drinking water by truck to the Narrabri community. This is crucial to alleviate pressure on the Elizabeth Street bore, which has previously tested positive for PFAS contamination, but at levels below drinking standards.
"We must also see expedited plans for a new water treatment plant. The NSW Labor Government's ongoing patch-up approach since taking office has failed to address the critical need for new water infrastructure. Timely investment is even more imperative now that the estimated costs of water and sewage projects have continued to skyrocket.
"The Minister may claim water security is her top priority, but her record of delays, inaction, and complete lack of accountability speaks for itself. Communities continue to suffer the consequences of a government stuck in endless planning phases, and that thinks words of support replace the need for decisive action."
When asked about funding for a longer-term solution for Narrabri, Jane Shepard, the director of local water utilities at the DCCEEW was quoted on a radio program, stating, "We do have the safe and secure water program (SSWP)."
However, the NSW Government's response to the recommendations of the NSW Productivity and Equality Commission's Review of Funding Models for Local Water Utilities clearly states the SSWP has been fully allocated; therefore, a review of the funding allocation is not possible.
Additionally, the Minister for Water has declined on multiple occasions to commit new funding to the program established by the former Nationals Government.
"Communities can only be so patient when their access to one of the most basic necessities is in question," Ms Cooke said.
"After two years and countless reports and reviews, the NSW Labor Government has nothing to offer regional and rural communities to address the backlog of water and sewage projects that is accumulating.
"Local Government NSW has made it abundantly clear that they want to see the renewal or replacement of the Safe and Secure Water Program. It's time this NSW Labor Government came to the table."
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are synthetic chemicals used to make products resistant to heat, stains, grease, and water. They are known as "forever chemicals" because they can last for centuries without breaking down.
