Ph: (02) 6366 8017
THURSDAY 7 November 2019
Email: molongex@bigpond.net.au www.molongexpress.com.au
$2.00 inc gst
Water from Orange to Molong (... and an old urban myth is busted)
Orange Mayor Reg Kidd and Cabonne Mayor Kevin Beatty at the new Orange / Molong water connection point on Monday
Orange and Cabonne Councils have reached an agreement to send water from Orange’s reserves to help Molong through the drought as an emergency measure should it be needed. With Molong’s main storage dam, Molong Creek Dam, down to 37% of capacity, there is potential for Molong to run out of water during the coming summer if there are no new inflows. The agreement would enable water to be transferred if the level of Molong Creek Dam falls to a critical level. A recently-completed pipeline will be used to direct up to half a megalitre of water a day from Orange to the Molong supply. The size of the transfer is calculated to match the amount needed if Molong residents were aiming at using the same target of water consumption as Orange residents (160 litres per person per day) under Level 5 restrictions. Orange Mayor Reg Kidd said the agreement is a sign that country councils can cooperate regionally to share water resources. “It’s no longer a story of ‘us and them’ when it comes to sharing water and helping our neighbouring councils
meet water needs,” Cr Reg Kidd said. “More than 200 Molong residents work in Orange and spend money in local shops.” “There are strong ties between our two communities and I’m sure the people of Orange will welcome this way forward. “Orange has led the field across the state when it comes to water restrictions. As part of working towards this agreement, Molong has moved to Level 5 restrictions. Sustainable water use is a positive step for all councils to explore.” Molong Mayor Kevin Beatty said he was delighted the two councils were able to continue to cooperate to find a solution. “This is going to be an emergency measure that will help us through the drought if our dam reaches a critical level,” Cr Kevin Beatty said. “We’re already investigating several medium and long term water security initiatives and we won’t be using this water to build up our reserves.” “I’m sure the community of Molong will be very thankful for this help that our friends in Orange are able to deliver.”
A myth busted?
Paul Mullins
For as long as I can remember and certainly through the years of the council amalgamation debates - I would hear random opinions that Orange would like to get its hands on Molong's water supply. Even recently, the talk in the street was that Molong was "selling water to Orange." I was always sceptical of this as my calculations were that Molong's "boutique" water supply would be lucky to keep Orange going for more than a day or so. The "myth" was never true. Even now Molong consumes around half a megalitre a day. Orange uses 10 megalitres (20 times that much) a day for its 42,000 population. Pipelines connecting town supplies and dams across the Central West have been underway for some years. Carcoar Dam is now connected to Orange and Carcoar is proposed to be connected to a massively increased Wyangala Dam at Cowra - allowing water to be reticulated (much like electricity) to meet varying capacities and demands.
'Clear' winners @ Daroo Awards
BOO! Ella Bunting enjoyed Halloween fun @ the Freemason Hotel's annual family witches, scarecrows, bats and frogs party last Saturday night. With her magical eye and amazing outfit ... Ella was a huge hit.
The Allcorn brothers of Manildra, Sam and Ben and their team from Clearwater Tanks took out the major award for 'Best Business in Cabonne at last Friday night's 2019 Daroo Business Awards. The two young entrepreneurs were recognised for their initiative and belief in creating their own self-employment opportunity, employment opportunities for their team, building a business based on market needs. In turn, helping to further build the Manildra and district communities. Congratulations on a mighty effort. (Above) Addie Eastwood (Marketing), Leah Hutchinson (Sales Manager), Sam Allcorn, Carol Allcorn (Admin Manager), Ben Allcorn. Read about the Clearwater Tanks story in next week's Express. See full list of 2019 Daroo Awardees P.2. Photos Molong Express facebook.