THE 2015 Country Music Festival will proceed despite the dire state of Tamworth’s water supplies.
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But the persistent lack of rain this year means grave doubts are already held for the 2016 edition.
Tamworth Regional Council predicts the city has less than 50 days until Level 4 water restrictions kick-in.
That would see the draconian measures in place just as tens of thousands of visitors descend on Tamworth for the festival.
However, Tamworth mayor Col Murray said it would take a “game council” to cancel the event, which begins on January 16.
He said past figures for that period of the year indicated the influx of festivalgoers across the 10 days did not lead to a huge increase in water consumption.
“People, in their normal daily use when they haven’t got a home or plants or gardens, don’t use a massive amount just for their showering and everyday water needs,” he said.
“Council does focus very much on informing those visitors by getting information out to motels and camp grounds asking people to respect our water situation.
“There is no doubt this festival will go ahead and it needs to go ahead because of the economic benefit it brings to Tamworth.”
During Level 4 restrictions, which are enacted when Chaffey Dam hits 30 per cent, Tamworth will consume about 15 million litres of water a day.
In 2007, the last time dwindling supplies threatened the festival, visitors’ water use was only recorded at five million litres across the entire 10-day event.
But while next year’s festival is safe, Cr Murray said there were concerns Chaffey Dam’s storage capacity would not recover in time for 2016.
“I would suggest that if we don’t get significant rain, then there would be a massive question mark around it,” he said.
Tamworth’s councillors are expected to resolve tonight to ask NSW Water Minister Kevin Humphries to suspend all, or part, of the water sharing plan for Tamworth.
Such a move would allow the council to access about five or six extra megalitres of groundwater through the wells at Scott Rd.
The water sharing plan establishes the rules for how water is managed for environmental, domestic, stock, industry and irrigation use and can only be amended in “severe” circumstances.