General News
7 December, 2025
Water issues and pipeline construction begins
Bogan Shire Council (BSC) will install meters at each of the water storage tanks in Hermidale to try and find the reason for a sudden increase in water use in the village over the past two years.
Councillors have raised concern at the amount of money BSC was being charged by the Cobar Water Board for water being taken out of the pipeline at the Hermidale village gauge.
Like Girilambone and Coolabah, Hermidale has a ground tank reservoir however, it can augment its water supply by taking raw water from the pipe - for which Cobar Water Board charges council.
Figures show water extractions from the pipe have rose significantly from July 2023, and almost doubled again in the in the lead up to December 2025.
Compounding the sudden extra reliance on the pipeline for Hermidale water has been the increase in price charged by Cobar Water Board over the past three financial years.
BSC director of infrastructure services, Grayden Curry has been carried out an investigation at the behest of councillors who noticed the amount of money council was paying to keep Hermidale in water.
Mr Curry said the most obvious reason was the lack of rainfall to fill the village ground tank. Mr Curry looked at rainfall records for the village and whilst it made sense that the drier weather caused the village to take more water from the pipe for most months - there was an anomaly in 2024 when both rainfall and reliance on the pipeline increased.
Mr Curry said council had inspected the ground tank and graded the catchment drains and there were no significant issues found.
There were also no visible signs of individuals or commercial premises using significantly more water - but given there are no individual water meters at Hermidale it was difficult to accurately determine this (except to note there were no suspiciously green lawns or new large swimming pools).
“We looked at new developments to see if any of them may have made an impact on local water use. There have been three development approvals in Hermidale in the last five years. These were a freight grain terminal, a new dwelling, and a satellite dish.
“On face value it is difficult to imagine that approved developments have significantly increased consumption.”
Mr Curry said the water from the pipeline is stored in elevated storages in the village and there was no lock on these - meaning anyone could access them. “We have arranged for water meters to be fixed to these tanks,” he said. “Should the newly installed meters not provide any meaningful data in terms of consumption, council may need to consider other options such as metering all services in Hermidale, or significantly increasing the raw water access charge for Hermidale consumers,” he said.
“Council may also need to consider alternative water sources, mandating rainwater tanks, or limiting further development.”
Following Mr Curry’s report to council at the November meeting there was a lively exchange between councillors Karl Bright and Sam Issa. Cr Bright pointed out ratepayers were paying around $2000 a week in water charges for Hermidale but it the village wasn’t subject to water restrictions.
“We’ve applied water restrictions to Girilambone and Coolabah – why not at Hermidale?” Cr Issa said Hermidale residents shouldn’t be charged for “something they haven’t done” and questioned whether a water leak between Nyngan and Hermidale could be the reason for the increased water usage. (It was explained Hermidale water was measured at the Hermidale gauge not at Nyngan).
Mayor Glen Neill said council needed to “get our head around the Hermidale situation as quick as we can”. “I totally agree we’ve got to look at canning the costs. Part of that will be investigating how Cobar Water Board come up with their readings.”
This investigation into water costs comes as the state government announces that construction is now underway for the new Nyngan and Hermidale pump stations set to deliver long-term water reliability for Cobar.
The project is jointly funded by the Australian government through the National Water Grid Fund and the NSW government.
Federal minister for the environment and water Murray Watt said the government was pleased to work along the Minns government to provide the funding that’s needed to get this work underway.
“It’s vital these pump stations are replaced now to prevent a potential catastrophic failure in the supply system.”
Quotes attributable to the NSW minister for water Rose Jackson said the $49 million project is one of the “largest water infrastructure projects in western NSW”.
“These new pump stations are a landmark step forward in delivering better water security and infrastructure for Cobar, one of the most vulnerable towns in the state when it comes to drought. Earlier this year I had the opportunity to meet with council and visit the sites in person to gain a better understanding of the project and the importance of the pump stations in supporting safe and secure water for Cobar.
“By replacing the old stations at Nyngan and Hermidale with modern facilities, we are ensuring water can continue to flow safely and reliably now and into the future.
“We are backing local communities with the infrastructure they need to grow and thrive,” she said.
State member for Barwon, Roy Butler said, “I’m glad to see work moving ahead on upgrades to the Nyngan to Cobar pipeline. These pumping stations are a great start, and I will continue working closely with vouncil, the Cobar Water Board, minister Jackson and federal minister Murray Watt on necessary works to replace the pipeline itself.”
The upgraded infrastructure will incorporate the latest technology, enabling remote monitoring and boosting safety for operators while reducing the risk of critical failures.
Contractor SRG Global Utilities (formally Diona) is now on site and leading delivery of the project, with construction of both pump stations expected to be completed by mid-2027.
Read More: Hermidale