The Department of Industry-Water and WaterNSW will chat to residents about how to manage water in drought conditions at an upcoming public forum.
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Locals will hear updates on availability of surface and groundwater, and proposed management measures if the drought doesn't break.
Gunnedah Shire Council's water manager Kevin Sheridan said it was "important" for locals to head along to the Smithurst Theatre on June 6 between 1pm and 3pm.
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"We are attending to gain further understanding of the current drought situation in the local area, particularly the effect drought is having on the groundwater aquifers, which Gunnedah sources its town water supply from," Mr Sheridan said.
"With Lake Keepit virtually empty, there has been a huge demand placed on the groundwater systems in the local area over the last five to six months. Whilst we have been very lucky to have a reliable source of good-quality water in the groundwater aquifers, the current drought is going on far longer than anybody's expectations, and we need to be aware of what the current levels are and receive advice from the department on the near-future allocations so that we can plan appropriately."
Deputy mayor Rob Hooke hoped to attend, saying there should be "specific issues on the Liverpool Plains".
"I really think we've got some issues that are going to be very specific to our groundwater in this region because the river's not running - the Namoi and the Mooki - and, while they're an important part of the recharge, I feel there are a lot of bores in this region that don't get recharged from the river," he said.
"We've had two years of well-below-average rainfall and I think that will impact how the bores are going to be managed in the future, so we need to ask the question of water resources to see how they think they're going to manage those bores."
Cr Hooke said his "personal concern" was the source of the water in the Murray-Darling Basin.
"If this recharge ... isn't coming from the rivers, where is it coming from? How old is this water? How much of it is left there?"
The Lower Darling, Lower Namoi and Barwon-Darling are currently ranked at the highest level of drought and Department of Industry-Water's drought coordinator Michael Wrathall said we are now in unprecedented territory.
"NSW water storages continue to fall with close to 100 per cent of the state now affected by drought. We need to protect the remaining water in our river systems as there is no significant rain or inflows predicted," he said.
"Water availability across the Murray-Darling Basin remains low, particularly in the northern-inland and far west regions. A number of valleys have seen inflows below previous record lows. Our priority is to ensure that sufficient water is available for critical water needs.
"Landholders and communities need information about water availability so they can plan ahead, and that's what these consultations are all about."
