Tamworth council mayor Russell Webb in talks with NSW Minister for Water Rose Jackson

Tamworth Regional Council mayor Russell Webb said he's feeling confident plans for a water purification plant will be "fast tracked" after a meeting with the new state water minister Rose Jackson.

The mayor told the Leader council was working hand-in-hand with the NSW government to get the plant "up and running" as soon as possible.

"This is cutting edge technology, it will be the first for NSW," Cr Webb said.

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The proposed purification plant will clean up the water from the city's three abattoirs and recycle it back into the facilities for future use.

The plant would also require the construction of brine ponds to discard any contaminated water.

A business case is being prepared for funding submissions, but Cr Webb said there were regulatory hoops to jump through.

He said current legislation wasn't up-to-date with the proposed technology.

"That of course is a job of the government to get that right," Cr Webb said.

But a meeting with Ms Jackson has left Cr Webb feeling "extremely encouraged" water security won't be far off.

"As we all know with governments, things don't happen as quickly as we would often like," he said.

"But she [Ms Jackson] certainly displayed some enthusiasm, and I was encouraged by how she dealt with the matter."

It's hoped the purification plant will be funded by the federal and state governments, and council.

The push for the plant comes after the federal government announced all funding for the Dungowan dam project would be pulled when the budget was released earlier this month.

Work will continue to repair the existing Dungowan pipeline.

Cr Webb said the decision was "disappointing", but he wasn't surprised.

"We have to get it right," he said.

"We have to find that security in any options that are laid on the table at the moment."

In the future, council will consider options to secure water from other dams and valleys.

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