Slide 3
Slide 3

Water and Sewer

WATER CONSERVATION

Council has a Drought Management Plan in place to encourage water conservation and to prepare the community for drought with emerging climate variability.

Water conservation measures apply in the Inverell Local Government Area. Find a copy of the current conservation measures here.

For further information please contact Council’s Civil and Environmental Services on (02) 6728 8200.

TOWN WATER SUPPLIES & INFORMATION

There are three separate treated town water schemes that Council operates within our local government area, those being Copeton, Ashford and Yetman schemes. Details on these schemes can be found below.

INVERELL – COPETON DAM

Copeton Dam with a large storage capacity of 1,364,000 megalitres provides a secure water supply to the Inverell area.

Inverell’s water supply was originally obtained from Lake Inverell. Following the construction of Copeton Dam Inverell’s water has been supplied from this source since 1981.

Raw water is pumped directly from Copeton Dam to the Copeton Water Treatment Plant located on the western outskirts of Inverell. Treated water is distributed along a 70km corridor from Inverell south to Gilgai and Tingha and west to Mt Russell and Delungra, together with many rural allotments between the town and villages.

Council has extended the water supply to service residents on the outskirts of Inverell. Council has an adequate water supply to service Inverell’s growing population and meet the demands of future expansion. No water restrictions have been imposed on consumers since 1981.

ASHFORD

Ashford has a secure source of water from Pindari Dam located on the Severn River located approximately 20km upstream of Ashford.

Water released from the dam is pumped from the Severn River to the Ashford Water Treatment Plant and then gravitates to the village.

Pindari Dam has a large storage capacity of 312,000 megalitres providing a secure water supply for Ashford.

YETMAN

Two bores located in Council’s Yetman Depot provide a secure supply of water for reticulation throughout the village.

PUBLIC STANDPIPES

Council has installed coin operated standpipes at Inverell, Gilgai, Tingha, Delungra, Ashford and Yetman.

The purpose of the standpipes is to provide access to potable drinking water for shire residents not connected to the town water supplies. These town water supply standpipes are not intended for stock watering purposes or other usages not requiring treated town water.

People purchasing potable water from water carters should ensure that the water carter is registered with Council as a potable water supplier so that hygiene standards are being met and the public are not placed at risk.

Current Dam Water Levels

WaterNSW updates dam water levels daily via their website.

For your convenience, dam water levels have been linked below:

Should you require any further information regarding water levels please visit the WaterNSW website – www.waternsw.com.au.

Algal Alerts

WaterNSW updates algae alerts via their website.

To view the current algal alerts in full or to find out more about Algal Blooms please visit the WaterNSW website and use their interactive map to locate algal alerts in your area (the alerts reported on the WaterNSW website are for recreational water use).

Algal blooms can cause waters to be unsafe for recreation in both freshwater and marine water environments.

Algal alerts are issued by Regional Algal Coordinating Committees (RACCs) who are responsible for local management of algal blooms.

SEWERAGE

Council operates reticulated sewerage systems for Inverell, Delungra, Ashford, Gilgai and Tingha. The systems are operated according to Environmental Guidelines and monitored to ensure compliance with requirements.

The sewer network comprises approximately 128km of pipe, 1661 manholes, 19 pump wells and the sewerage treatment plants.

Provision of sewerage service to Inverell and district residents is restricted by the Development Servicing Plan. Connection to the sewerage system is a requirement for new and existing development within this area. Once a service is connected to a residence, Council is committed to providing full maintenance to the property boundary. Sewer blockages or other problems within a property boundary are the responsibility of the property owner.

DEVELOPMENT SERVICING PLAN

The Development Servicing Plan covers water supply and sewerage developer charges in regard to the Council’s development areas, serviced by Inverell Shire Council.

The Development Servicing Plan Contribution charges, based on 1 equivalent tenement for the 2024/2025 period are:

  • Water: $12,975.00 per equivalent tenement (GST exempt)
  • Sewer: $4,210.00 per equivalent tenement (GST exempt)

ANNUAL DAMS SAFETY STANDARDS REPORT

The Annual Dams Safety Standards Report demonstrates the declared dam owner’s compliance with dam safety standards set out in the Dams Safety Regulation 2019 (the Regulation).

Annual Dams Safety Standards Reports - 2023
Lake InverellDownload[524 Kb]

Last modified 11-Feb-2025

OTHER COUNCIL AFFILIATED WEBSITES

CONTACT COUNCIL

Opening Hours:
Monday - Friday
8:30am - 4:30pm

Correspondence:
General Manager
PO Box 138 Inverell NSW 2360

Administration Centre

144 Otho Street
Inverell NSW 2360

Phone: (02) 6728 8288
Fax: (02) 6728 8277
Email: council@inverell.nsw.gov.au
ABN: 72 695 204 530