THE future of Barraba as a thriving rural community lay within the success or failure of its water supply and this was the reason why the town needed a pipeline from Split Rock dam, a young Barraba student has said.

Barraba Central School student Rheni Austin, 15, addressed last night’s meeting of the Tamworth Regional Council and said all sections of the community from the youth to elderly retirees depended upon a decent water supply for gardens, safe playgrounds and educational facilities.

“Water is our dream, you have to make it a reality,” she said to the council meeting.

Partly in response to the address and partly due to concern expressed by councillors and council staff it was agreed to expedite exploration work on the Barraba Common to see if bores could be discovered that could provide the necessary 400 kilolitres a day the township needed to enjoy a

supply without tight

restrictions.

Water Enterprises director Bruce Logan said a flow of 20 litres a second was needed to ensure there was a sufficient supply for the town. Current flows from bores being tested as at the five to five-and-a-half litres a second, he said.

Meanwhile the contentious water supply was a topic in Parliament yesterday when Member for New England Tony Windsor raised the matter with Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.

Mr Windsor used Question Time to ask the PM if he was aware that Barraba had effectively run out of water from normal sources and was entirely reliant on emergency groundwater bores.

The Prime Minister asked his Parliamentary Secretary on Water, the Hon Mike Kelly to take on the task of investigating the problem, who immediately after question time met with Mr Windsor to discuss the situation with the Prime Minister also stopping in to learn more.

“Mike Kelly has agreed to look at the issue after the meeting that Member for Tamworth Peter Draper, Tamworth Regional Council mayor James Treloar and I have with the NSW Minister for Water Phil Costa in the very near future,” Mr Windsor said.

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