Hidden water leak monitoring in the Guyra town water supply system will be undertaken in the latest measure to address the tightening water shortage.
Council has engaged specialist contractor Detection Services to identify and locate hidden leaks in Council's treated water network in the Guyra district.
"Not all water leaks are visible on the surface, so the inspection will look for any hidden leaks in Council's water distribution network," Armidale Regional Council Mayor Simon Murray said.
"The inspection, scheduled to start during the next fortnight, will also look for evidence of leaks on the customers' side of their water meters.
"If a leak on the customer's own household water pipes is suspected then the householder should get a licenced plumber in to find and fix the leak as soon as possible."
Levels in the Guyra Dams have dropped below 25% and Level 4 water restrictions remain in place, as the ongoing drought shows no sign of ending.
"Dam levels are now critically low and Level 5 restrictions for Guyra are looming. It is vital we cut our water use back now," Councillor Murray said.
"Council and the community are taking action to curb water consumption and protect the remaining dam supplies.
"It makes sense to bring forward monitoring on the water supply network, to ensure our valuable supplies are not being lost to any leaks.
The network comprises a total of about 49 kilometres of pipeline in Guyra, starting at the water treatment plant north of the Guyra township and including two reservoirs on Prisk Hill.
Detection Services will undertake visual and acoustic monitoring of the water pipe network. It will also supply and install flow meters at the Prisk Hill reservoirs' outlets to monitor minimum night flows.
