Glen Innes farmer Mike Norton was this morning the first of over 120 landholders in the region who will receive a free water delivery care of a Rural Aid charitable scheme.
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In total two million litres of Glen Innes town water will be delivered to farmers around the area as part of the #finishwaterwaste program - free of charge.
Mike Norton said his farm, near Mt Mitchell, has run out of household water three or four times this year, forcing him to pay thousands to cart.
"When we run out of house water here we can't even fill our kettle," he said.
"So when Rural Aid come in and offer to give us water, it's just a godsend."
He said the drought is "by far the worst we've ever, ever seen"
"Creeks, or rivers that have never stopped running (that) we rely on for water, have not only stopped running, it's dried up.
"I've got half the place now without stock."
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Ongoing fires still burning within sight of the property today have dropped weeks smoke and ash onto his water storage, leaving what little water he has left "absolutely damn near putrid".
His was the first farm in the region to receive a water drop, with 19,000 litres of clean fresh water delivered today. He called it a "godsend".
Rural Aid, which is administering the water supply charity scheme, chose the New England region to receive much of the aid. Today's water drop was the largest in the country so far.
Craig Marsh, Rural Aid business development manager, said deadly bushfires had added to the stress of the worst drought in history.
"It's not really drought any more - it's really disaster," he said.
"The important point is, particularly for the people living in cities, is that each farm effectively feeds 600 city people.
"We've got to keep the farmers on the land so it doesn't affect our foodchain. Everyone's in it together."
He encouraged farmers to enrol for the program at https://www.buyabale.com.au/can-we-help-you/.
The #FinishWaterWaste initiative encourages Australians not to pre-rinse their dishes before they go in the washing machine to save up to 40 litres of water per load. By saving the water, Australians in the city will in turn donate 6.8 million litres of water to communities suffering from the drought.
For each social media promise detergent company Finish will donate 40 litres to a drought-affected Australian.
Mike Norton agreed the situation was desperate and urged people to help out.
"If we lose our people in our communities like our tradies and our shops, they will never come back - they'll settle up somewhere else down the coast," he said.
Councillor Dianne Newman said she was disappointed and felt misled by Rural Aid. She said she was not made aware the water would be sourced from town supplies before the water drop on Tuesday morning.
A Rural Aid spokesperson said the charity liaises with local council and their registered water carriers prior to supplying domestic water to Rural Aid registered farmers in need in the local council area, to ensure the charity adheres to the council's guidelines for domestic water supply.