THE thirsty city of Orange and its largest employer, Cadia Valley Operations, are a step closer to tapping into Burrendong and Wyangala dams after the NSW premier announced a feasibility study into an ambitious plan to drought proof the entire Central West.

Premier Morris Iemma made the commitment yesterday during a state cabinet visit to Parkes.

Mr Iemma promised $555,000 to fund a feasibility study into CENTROC’s proposal to build a massive water pipeline network throughout the area.

The NSW Government has now made the project a priority for any future bids for Federal Government funding.

The proposal has been costed in the order of at least $180 million dollars and would be one of the largest water infrastructure projects in the history of the state if it were to go ahead.

The study will look at the feasibility of linking Wyangala, Burrendong and Lake Rowlands dams with the storage and water supply systems of dozens of towns and cities in the region.

Cities potentially drought proofed by the plan include Orange, Bathurst, Lithgow, Parkes, Forbes, Young, Wellington and Condobolin to name just a few.

Orange Mayor John Davis was chairperson of CENTROC when the plan was first floated and was “over the moon” after hearing news of the announcement yesterday.

“This is big picture stuff and the feasibility is certainly a step down the road towards having these pipelines built and the city’s water problems solved forever. Anyone who suggested that this was pie-in-the-sky stuff should be revisiting what they said now,” Cr Davis said.

NSW Water Minister Nathan Rees praised the CENTROC proposal yesterday after the premier made the announcement.

“CENTROC has not only taken up the challenge, but has taken its thinking outside the box to a proposal aimed at drought proofing the industry, agriculture and the communities of the entire region,” he said.