Tamworth Regional Council will install a new water main and rehabilitate the old one as part of a $1.2 million project designed to ensure water reliability for homes on the East Tamworth street.

Council said the new main will stretch along a 1.2 kilometre section of Carthage Street between Darling and Hill Streets.

It will be laid underground on the top side of the road - the side closest to Anzac Park.

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The two-stage plan means the new water main will be put down first and then the older, existing pipeline will be upgraded.

Tamworth council's manager of water operations Dan Coe said the upgrade will take about four months to complete and initial work setting up on site had already started.

Council workers are discussing the impact of the project with business owners and residents in the area, but Mr Coe said the disruption will be minimal.

"During the four months, most of the work will be done with no impact to customers at all and when we do have to change over their water supply, there'll be a small outage, roundabout an hour, and obviously we'll talk to each resident," he said.

Council has advised that at some points during the Carthage Street Water Supply Upgrade project, the road will be reduced to one lane for traffic and advised motorists to avoid the area when possible.

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