Two penalty notices have been issued to Tamworth Regional Council by the state's water regulator for alleged breaches of NSW water laws.
The council is accused of exceeding their water allocation at the Scott Road Drift Wells by 300 megalitres in 2019-2020 water year.
The Natural Resources Access Regulator (NRAR) released a statement on Wednesday 26th August saying a thorough investigation has been undertaken including weighing up the council's culpability and attitude toward the investigation.
Greg Abood, NRAR's Director of Water Regulation said water allocations are in place to ensure fair access to water for both licensed users and the environment.
"Although we considered the mitigating circumstances, the community expects public water utilities to comply with the law. It’s even more critical in times of drought," Mr Abood said.
Tamworth Councillor's voted to buy water on the open market, to refill the alleged breach at a potential cost of over $17,000, at the council meeting on July 28th.
Tamworth Regional Council said they won't be making any comments before the issue is tabled at the next council meeting on Tuesday, September 8th.