The communities of Barraba, Manilla, Nundle and Kootingal will soon enjoy the benefits of their own water refill station after Tamworth Regional Councillors decided to spend almost $40,000 to have them installed.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The move follows the installation of three water refill stations in the Tamworth CBD in August this year - the latest in Council’s ongoing sustainability measures - which has been met with a positive community response.
Councillors also agreed to look at installing refill stations at smaller communities such as Bendemeer and Attunga after monitoring water usage at the other locations for 12 months.
Tamworth Regional Council Sustainability Coordinator Tracey Carr said the new water refill stations are expected to be installed early in the new year.
“They are a sustainability initiative which encourages residents to reduce single use drink bottles which accounts for a sizeable amount of litter,” she said.
“But it is also seen as a community wellbeing project because the refill stations provide residents and visitor with easy access to free supply of quality drinking water.”
The 2100mm-high water refill stations are designed to be vandal resistant and able to endure the outdoor elements and high volumes of use.
They are wheelchair accessible and include a drinking fountain, multiple bottle refill points plus a dog bowl.
The Barraba water refill station will be installed in the Queen Street Mall while the Manilla one will be in the main street between the two town halls.
The stations will replace existing older style drinking fountains in Nundle near the swimming pool and in Kootingal Park off Irvine Street near Summers IGA Supermarket.
The cost of installing the four new stations will be funded from Council’s Water Reserve.