The results of Tamworth Regional Council's water survey are in and will help guide a new water management plan for the city.

Water sustainability officer Louise Cadell told the Leader the results were positive, but described some numbers as "quite alarming".

More than 40 per cent of the 500 people surveyed didn't know Water NSW - not council - operated Chaffey Dam, and more than half said they thought water restrictions should have been introduced earlier.

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"It was quite alarming for us to see that 43 per cent of residents weren't aware that Water NSW owns and operates Chaffey Dam," Ms Cadell said.

"It gives us a bit of drive to educate and communicate about who owns water infrastructure and the rationale behind introducing water restrictions and the reasons why we're limited."

A contractor surveyed a "statistically significant" group connected to the town water supply across the region, as part of its review of the drought management plan. More than 100 locals did the survey online.

"It's about learning what the community did and also who did it ... it helps direct communication into the future," Ms Cadell said.

She said it was positive to see 82 per cent of people agreed they could not use as much water as they wanted at home.

"It gives us confidence that our communications are working and that residents are willing to pull their weight," she said.

"I don't think there was anything in there we weren't expecting."

Ms Cadell said she'd like to see more people invest in water saving gadgets, with only 17 per cent of respondents buying a rainwater tank during the drought.

Answers from the surveys will be used to create a new draft drought management plan to go into a holistic "water management plan". The report will go before councillors at Tuesday night's meeting.

Ms Cadell said there would be a focus on education and communication into the future, but survey results could be more far-reaching.

"All of this information can literally transcend across all areas of council ... and also in terms of lobbying state and federal governments in terms of bigger water infrastructure projects," she said.

The plan will be reviewed and will go on public display later this year.

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