The pipes are calling ahead of State of Origin clash

The town of Mungindi, which sits on both sides of the NSW and Qld border, is tapping into the spirit of State of Origin by painting the state lines blue and maroon as the community comes together to celebrate the completion of the Mungindi Water Security Project.

The project, which received more than $1 million from the NSW Government has helped to secure a new water source on the Queensland side of the border to assist in reducing the risk of water shortages and create a more sustainable future.

The new water security infrastructure will help boost water pressure, quality and supply with the additional water pumped directly to the Mungindi Water Treatment facility.

Prior to this work being completed, water on the Queensland side of the town was supplied by Moree Plains Shire Council, and drawn from the Moree Plains Shire Reservoir in NSW.

Previously, supplied water was subject to restrictions during ongoing drought conditions.

The construction of a new artesian bore in Mungindi will help deliver necessary water security to the town and provide permanent clean water for livestock and the local agriculture industry.

The work is part of the NSW Government’s ongoing commitment to improve water security and prepare for drought in regional NSW.

Balonne Shire Council contributed more than $418,000 towards the project.

The Mayors of Balonne Shire Council and Moree Plains Shire Council wore their team colours in a border battle beside the Mungindi Bridge in the early morning on Wednesday 28 May to inspire some friendly community rivalry before celebrating the project milestone later in the day.

Minister for Regional NSW, Tara Moriarty said:

“As much as we will enjoy ribbing our Queensland neighbours when NSW gets off to a winning start in tonight’s NRL State of Origin, I am pleased that our two governments have been able to come together and work on this important project together.

“This is the kind of water security infrastructure that will make a big difference to this community, and that is why our Government has funded it.

“We know that climate change is affecting droughts, they are likely to become increasingly more severe and frequent, so improving water security with this project is important."

Minister for Water, Rose Jackson said:

“The battle of the blues and the maroons might be kicking off tonight but that doesn’t mean we can’t come together to deliver critical water security infrastructure for border towns like Mungindi.

“We don’t want to see regional communities facing water restrictions or an unreliable supply – and we’re going to continue to tackle these issues.

“It’s an incredible display of sportsmanship to have state governments and councils work together like this to secure the water future of their towns and achieve their shared goals.”

Balonne Shire Council Mayor, Samantha O’Toole, said:

“Delivering projects in the cross-border community of Mungindi involves a great degree of government collaboration and we are so grateful to the New South Wales government for their significant funding for this project.

“This project will improve water security and supply for the township of Mungindi on both sides of the border, eliminating the risk of water shortages into the future.

“We would also like to thank the Moree Plains Shire Council for their ongoing collaboration to support the residents of Mungindi.”

Moree Plains Shire Council Mayor, Susannah Pearse, said:

"Access to clean, reliable drinking water is a basic human need, but provision of services isn't always simple in a remote town cut in two by an invisible state border.

"Council and our NSW Mungindi residents are hugely grateful to our neighbours at Balonne Shire Council and the NSW Government for taking such a pragmatic approach to addressing local needs."