MAYOR Col Murray was confident the Dungowan Dam will be delivered in the half the time it took to expand Chaffey Dam.
The mayor met briefly with the deputy premier John Barilaro and water minister Melinda Pavey in Sydney last week where they vowed to push ahead with the $480 million dam project as quickly as possible.
But water, as in so many regional NSW cities, remained front of mind.
Cr Murray said there was still no answers about the new dam's ownership and management but he remained buoyed by the development's progress.
"The deputy premier indicated they will be pushing forward as soon as possible get the geo-tech work done," he said.
It was only a chance meeting in the foyer with the water minister Melinda Pavey.
But Cr Murray said she was also keen to see the dam progressed rapidly.
"She was full steam behind trying the move forward with the dam," he said.
The state government recently introduced a bill to relax planning laws to allow state significant dam projects to be fast-tracked.
Once again, answers about the operation of the dam weren't forthcoming.
However, the mayor did say the council would be "keen" to retain ownership of the dam, but those details would "play out in the fullness of time".
Instead, he pivoted focus to the speed of the development so far and the need to alter the water sharing plan.
"I'm absolutely happy," he said.
"If we cast our minds back, to get the upgrade of Chaffey, the whole process took 10 years.
"We're going cut that in half."
NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian said the government would aim to have the dam built by 2024, or earlier if possible.
Jacob McArthur
Jacob McArthur is opinions editor for The Canberra Times and Australian Community Media. As part of the Canberra Times' production team, he helps the people of Canberra and beyond get the stories they need, when they need them across a range of platforms, while helping maintain a high editorial standard. Before moving to Canberra in 2020, he started with Australian Community Media in 2015 as a journalist for The Northern Daily Leader in Tamworth where he kept a close eye on Tamworth Regional Council. Jacob was also the co-host of ACM's Water Pressure podcast where he and Jamieson Murphy took a deep dive on issues and key decisions arising during one of the region's worst droughts on record.
Jacob McArthur is opinions editor for The Canberra Times and Australian Community Media. As part of the Canberra Times' production team, he helps the people of Canberra and beyond get the stories they need, when they need them across a range of platforms, while helping maintain a high editorial standard. Before moving to Canberra in 2020, he started with Australian Community Media in 2015 as a journalist for The Northern Daily Leader in Tamworth where he kept a close eye on Tamworth Regional Council. Jacob was also the co-host of ACM's Water Pressure podcast where he and Jamieson Murphy took a deep dive on issues and key decisions arising during one of the region's worst droughts on record.
