COMMUNITIES in country NSW will see more than $600 million flow from the upcoming state budget for water and sewerage projects.
Water Minister Niall Blair revealed the deal as part of the key Coalition election promise to spend $1.25 billion to firm up towns' water security.
"An historic $618.4m will be invested right across NSW to make sure communities have access to clean and secure drinking water," Mr Blair said.
"For too long quick fixes and band-aid solutions have been the norm for regional water security, but now we are being bold and building big."
The funding includes $127.4m for water security across 16 local infrastructure projects, and an initial $52.3m to secure emergency water supplies for Broken Hill.
Among the major projects are pipelines for Orange to Blayney and Carcoar ($21.21m); Orange to Molong Dam and Molong to Cumnock and Yeoval ($16.67m); Scone to Murrurundi ($11.54m); the Kyogle works and Timor Dam feasibility study ($6.96m), and the Condobolin bores ($3.9m).
Another $186m will be available to assist eligible NSW households with potable water, while $130m has been set aside for water saving infrastructure projects, funded by the Commonwealth under its Water for the Future program.
