Drinking water will soon be drawn from the Tomago Sandbeds to fill a shortfall in the Hunter as water levels drop to their lowest in 13 years.
The sandbeds are part of the Lower Hunter's drought response systems and can provide 20 per cent of the region's drinking water when needed.
Hunter Water's Chief Investment Officer Darren Cleary says the water source is safe and is only used as a backup due to higher costs involved in treating the water.
Water from the sandbeds can be discoloured due to higher levels of difficult-to-remove iron and mineral manganese, but Darren Cleary says discoloured water doesn't pose a health risk and residents can try turning their tap on full for a few minutes to clear the pipes.
"We've got extensive water quality testing throughout the borefields to demonstrate that the water we're drawing from Tomago aquifer is safe to drink, and importantly we are not drawing any water from the Williamtown Management Area," said Mr Cleary.
"Our customers can have confidence in the controls that have been put in place to ensure their drinking water remains safe and meets the Guidelines."
Hunter Water will begin drawing water from the Tomago Sandbeds from Monday, June 3rd.
