Carrathool Shire Council provides and maintains reticulated potable (drinkable) water supplies to the town of Hillston and villages of Merriwagga, Goolgowi, Carrathool & Rankins Springs.
Urban Water
Hillston
Hillston
The Hillston water supply is groundwater sourced from the Lower Lachlan Valley aquifer via several local bores. Water from the bores receives aeration and chlorination treatment before reticulated to households.
Goolgowi/Merriwagga
Goolgowi/Merriwagga
The Goolgowi/Merriwagga potable water supply scheme was constructed in 1995. The scheme draws its water from two bores known as Langtree, which is located approximately 20km north of Merriwagga. The Langtree bore source is on the edge of the Lower Lachlan Valley aquifer. The water is Chlorine dosed at the bore site, then pumped into six (6) reservoirs at Merriwagga Village, here it is then aerated through an in-tank aeration process.
The Merriwagga site also has three separate pump stations – Merriwagga, Bunda and Goolgowi. All three schemes are supplied from this site.
After additional chlorination treatment the water is piped a further 20 kms south to concrete storage tanks located in the Goolgowi Village, it is then pumped into the reticulation system. The Goolgowi Village has a dual water supply with each premises having two water meters. Raw (untreated) water is piped into the Goolgowi Village for external use. (garden etc.). Occupants use the potable water for inside their buildings.
Carrathool
Carrathool
Carrathool village is supplied from a bore within the village itself. The water is chlorinated at the bore site with chlorine gas. The water is pumped around the village via reticulation from concrete storage tanks.
Rankins Springs
Rankins Springs
Potable water supply was made available to the Rankins Springs Village in 2018 under the NSW State Government’s Safe and Secure Water Program (SSWP). The potable water supply is available within the existing Council water boundary.
Water is sourced from the bore and via a Murrumbidgee Irrigation channel and taken to the newly built Rankins Springs Water Treatment Plant, here reverse osmosis and an ultrafiltration treatment process is used to treat the raw water before it is provided to the township.
Rural Water
Carrathool Shire Council provides and maintains an extensive network of rural water supply schemes comprised of Melbergen, Yoolaroi, Goolgowi, Bunda, Palmyra and Rankins Springs. It is the largest rural water supply network supplied by any individual Council anywhere in NSW!
The water is non-potable for ‘stock and domestic’ purposes only. The Melbergen scheme has two bores (supplied from the Ballyrogan bore site) at Lake Brewster, which supply non-potable water to Melbergen rural customers and bulk supplies to the Goldenfields Water Council the schemes are split at the Mt. Daylight storage site.