Orange City Council should consider using water pouring over the spillway at Lake Canobolas to help fill Orange's dams, a councillor has proposed.
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Currently the water heads to Molong for its town supply and then onwards to farms in the region.
However, Cr Glenn Taylor said council should investigate using the water to fill Orange's dams.
We still need to go a fair way to have us in a really safe position for the oncoming summer and seasons ahead.
- Cr Glenn Taylor
Cr Taylor said the water would help safeguard Orange's supply ahead of future droughts.
"The basic question is we've got all this overflow from Lake Canobolas, and I understand it flows directly into Molong's water supply at Molong Dam, why can't Orange City, while we are at 50 per cent, [pump] to top up our own supply," he said.
"We still need to go a fair way to have us in a really safe position for the oncoming summer and seasons ahead."
Cr Taylor asked council to investigate its options to use the overflow water. He said there should be a trigger point for Orange to use the water without disadvantaging Molong.
Cr Kevin Duffy said the water also went into the Bell River.
"I think you will start to get into licences for farmers. I couldn't imagine they'd be too happy," he said.
Cr Duffy said an investigation would show the current regulatory situation.
Council's technical services director Ian Greenham said Orange did not have a licence to use water from Lake Canobolas.
"It is certainly one of the options we were looking at for drought security when we had water in Lake Canobolas and we were fast depleting our own resources," he said.
"It isn't part of our licensed system at present, but it is not to say it couldn't be part of our water supply solution in the future.
"Our licence at the moment is to operate Spring Creek Dam and Suma Park Dam as our water supply sources."
The latest council figures show Orange's water supply is 55.8 per cent full.
Suma Park Dam is 45.48 per cent full while Spring Creek Dam is full.
Lake Canobolas and Gosling Creek Dam are also full.
The water supply is likely to be further boosted on Wednesday.
The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting a 95 per cent chance of rain in Orange with rainfall of 10-25 millimetres predicted.
Orange is now on Level 3 water restrictions after being on tough Level 5 restrictions for many months.
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David Fitzsimons
I am a senior journalist at the Central Western Daily concentrating on council, government and real estate issues. Before moving to Orange I filled senior roles at the Daily Telegraph, Daily Telegraph-Mirror and the Daily Mirror in Sydney. They included being an editor, news editor, chief of staff and reporter.
I am a senior journalist at the Central Western Daily concentrating on council, government and real estate issues. Before moving to Orange I filled senior roles at the Daily Telegraph, Daily Telegraph-Mirror and the Daily Mirror in Sydney. They included being an editor, news editor, chief of staff and reporter.
