ONE of the region's more water-secure communities will be hit with level 3 restrictions in a few weeks' time.
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Tamworth Regional Council will enforce the restrictions on Barraba from December 1.
The small town 90 kilometres north of Tamworth has been supplied water via a Split Rock Dam pipeline for a number of years.
This supply has been one of the most reliable through recent droughts in the region with Barraba barely moved from the lowest level of water restrictions in this period.
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Their southerly neighbours in Manilla, however, have been on level 3 restrictions for some time with flows in the Namoi River, its primary source, ceasing.
Manilla is now largely supplied with water from Split Rock via the Manilla River.
Tamworth Regional Council holds a single water licence from the dam to supply both towns.
So the councillors voted to put both communities on level 3 restrictions from December 1.
"Essentially we treat Manilla and Barraba as one, while we are only relying on Split Rock Dam as one water supply, both communities would be on level 3 restrictions," the council's water and waste operations manager Dan Coe said.
"We are working with Water NSW to save all of the water we can in Split Rock Dam and holding that water for the foreseeable future to try and get through this drought."
Mr Coe said the remaining supply in Split Rock should see Manilla and Barraba stay on level 3 restrictions for some time.
"Given Water NSW retained 4.2 megalitres in Split Rock Dam, we wouldn't see restrictions changing for the next two years," he said.
Tamworth, Moonbi-Kootingal remain on level 5 restrictions with their main supply, Chaffey Dam, falling below 17 per cent capacity this week.
Nundle is on level 4, while Bendemeer remains at level 3.
Attunga will be on the lowest tier of water restriction in the Tamworth Regional Council area come December, at level 1.