Funding confirmed to future-proof drinking water on NSW Mid North Coast
24 March 2025
The New South Wales (NSW) Mid North Coast region is facing water quality and security issues. The Kempsey project will address these issues.
It will also future proof the drinking water supply of Kempsey, Frederickton, Smithtown and Gladstone.
The project will benefit the communities through:
- improved water security and quality
- better climate resilience, including during periods of drought
- public health benefits - higher quality drinking water supplies
- environmental benefits - the new plant will be more efficient with lower carbon emissions.
To address the current water quality issues, the project will build a new state-of-the-art filtration plant and associated infrastructure to treat raw water from the Steuart McIntyre Dam and Sherwood Borefield. This includes:
- capacity of 12 megalitres (ML) of water per day, and allowance for future expansion of an additional 10 ML per day
- installing new pumps at the existing pump station
- water treatment processes aligned to the quality of the raw water
- new raw water and clear water storage tanks
- an emergency storage lagoon
- backwash and firefighting pump stations
- new technology and network communication integration into the existing system.
This project is funded by the Australian Government, through the National Water Grid Fund ($12.5 million), New South Wales Government ($13.22 million) and Kempsey Shire Council ($27.17 million).
