The Manning River Underbore project remains on track, but with the weather warming up and water use increasing, water restrictions have not been ruled out for northern parts of the MidCoast throughout October and November.
The project reached a major milestone last week when a 750m pilot hole was successfully drilled under the Manning River, from Bootawa to Wingham.
MidCoast Council's Director of Infrastructure and Engineering Services, Rob Scott, said with the first pass of the pilot hole now complete, the project faced a lot less risk.
"We now know how hard the rock is and have more information that will help us expand the hole to a diameter of one metre, which will allow us to install the new water main," said Mr Scott.
"The project is on schedule and we're hoping we can connect the new main in November and restore a permanent supply back to Wingham."
Water supply to Wingham was unexpectedly cut off in May during the flood when the pipeline that supplied the town's reservoirs was damaged where it crossed the Manning River. Since then, a temporary solution has been in place.
Despite the recent progress, Mr Scott said an increase in daily water demands was placing pressure on the temporary solution, which supplies water to residents and businesses in Wingham, Taree, Cundletown, Kolodong, Coopernook, Lansdowne, Harrington and Crowdy Head.
If demand becomes too high in these areas, Wingham's reservoirs may not be able to be filled quickly enough, resulting in reduced supply to customers.
Mr Scott said the temporary solution was coping with the current demand without any major issues, but there was a risk that if demand continued to rise, it wouldn't be able to keep up without losing supply to some customers.
"If that happens, we won't have any other choice but to implement water restrictions across the northern part of the system," he said.
"It might not prove necessary, but it's important the community is aware that water restrictions are being considered."
Mr Scott encouraged people to be mindful of their water use, particularly those in the affected areas.
"There is no need to be alarmed. We just want the community to be aware of the situation and to keep it in mind when they're using water."
