Liverpool Plains Shire Council said inflows to Quipolly Dam combined with a water treatment problem in the area has made the Werris Creek supply unsafe for residents.

Any water used for food preparation or for drinking should be brought to a "rolling boil" to make it safe to consume.

The council said kettles with a shut-off switch can achieve this.

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Water should be boiled, then allowed to cool and then stored in a clean container with a lid on it in the fridge.

The council warned bottled water - or the cooled-down boiled water - needed to be used for drinking, washing uncooked food like fruit and vegetables, making ice and cleaning teeth.

The clean water should also be used to fill up water bowls for pets.

Dishes can be washed in the tap water, but residents need to make sure it's warm and soapy.

Liverpool Plains Shire Council said staff are hard at work to get the problem fixed, but the boil water advice would stay in place until further notice.

This advice is for people connected to the Werris Creek town water supply.

"Recent conditions starting with fresh stream flows into Quipolly Dam and more recently a process breach at the Werris Creek water treatment plant have caused problems with water treatment, making drinking water in the Werris Creek supply unsafe," the statement said.

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