The two villages were switched over to town water in August and council’s water director Bruce Logan said Tamworth could support the water needs of Moonbi and Kootingal “indefinitely”. 

“We won't be providing water from the bores Moonbi-Kootingal for a very long time,” Mr Logan said.

Council will sit down over the next 12 to 18 months and decide if the bores will ever be used again.

“If one of those options is trying to use the bores again, we'll talk to the Department of Health about whether they would be happy for us to do that, if so, under what circumstances,” Mr Logan said.

“We don't have to use those bores again, we can use an alternative supply. But it's up to council to make that decision.”

On Thursday, Hunter New England Health population health physician, Dr David Durrheim, said the contaminated bore should be decommissioned. Bendermeer will  stop using its back-up bore, after it showed elevated levels of uranium. The town usually relies on the Macdonald River for its water.