The corroded tap that Peter Ballard is holding says it all - the water in Sandy Hollow is crook.
If its brine-like flavour doesn't put you off, the growing pile of shower heads, taps and kitchen appliances that it has destroyed sure will.
"I wouldn't let my dog drink it, it's that bad," Mr Ballard said.
"I just had to replace the plunger in the toilet and we have only had it for 12 months."
Without a connection to the Upper Hunter's main source of drinking water, the township's 200-odd residents have survived on a combination of tank water and heavily chlorinated water pumped from the Goulburn River for time immemorial.
Some are spending about $200 a fortnight to import water to keep their businesses afloat.
Tourist Hotel publican James Cowen has the job of removing the calcium build up off the caravan park's shower heads every couple of weeks.
"It's just hard, awful stuff," he said.
With drought tightening its grip across the region, Sandy Hollow's rainwater tanks are draining fast. Soon the only option will be to import drinking water.
But what frustrates most locals is the knowledge that they can be connected to the region's main water supply for $9.5million.
Muswellbrook Council received $18,898,200 through the State Government's Growing Local Economies Fund in 2022 to scope, design and construct a 18 kilometre pipeline and related water infrastructure linking the Hunter River at Denman and Sandy Hollow.
In addition to supplying Sandy Hollow with quality drinking water the project is also designed to support future economic growth across the Upper Hunter. This includes a proposed state significant abattoir and feedlot construction project at Hollydeen.
However, cost blowouts and inflation have added another $9.5million to the project.
The previous Coalition government pledged to fund the shortfall but the Minns government has to date declined to match the commitment.
"This pipeline is important for the region in many different ways. It's not just about having quality drinking water. These people are dealing with high saline levels in their water which affects everything from dishwashers to farm equipment.... It has a huge impact on their lives," Upper Hunter MP Dave Layzell said.
"I think if people in metro areas knew that this was quality of water that these people are getting delivered, they would say it was unacceptable."
He said it was extremely frustrating that the goal of upgrading the town's water supply to twenty first century standards remained out of reach.
"We just need that last tranche of funding. It will have a far more practical benefit to the region than any political benefit," he said.
"Connecting water and sewage are the important projects that we need to get underway if we are going to look at expanding business opportunities and attract more people to the regions."
Tammy Bradley, who has operated Spill the Beans coffee shop at the Sandy Hollow Emporium for nine months agrees. Like others, she learnt the hard way when the town water destroyed her new coffee machine after six months.
"A lot of people stop at the tourist park. They come over here and complain about the water. It's not very nice. I explain to them that I don't use it."
Mr Ballard invested in new plumbing throughout the house he bought a year ago.
Within months it was starting to corrode as result of the town water.
"When the plumbers pulled out the original three quarter inch corrugated pipe from under the house it was clogged with calcium except for tiny hole in the middle of it," he said.
"We were going to hook up the shower to rain water but at that time we didn't have the tanks at the time so they connected it to the town water. It was only connected for a couple of months but it was already corroding by the time the tanks arrived."
A spokeswoman for Minister for Agriculture and Regional NSW Tara Moriarty said the government took the issue of water security seriously.
"We will continue to engage with the community on any water security issues," she said.
Muswellbrook Shire Council Mayor Steve Reynolds warned the $9.5million needed to finish the project would only increase while it remained unfinished.
"Council staff are telling me the cost is now $9.5million. By the time we hear about a federal grant that we are optimistic about it could have gone up again.
"All we want is (funding) surety, we can't keep having these blow-outs," Mr Reynolds said.
The town's 850 residents relied on water tankers at the height of the last drought.
The 40 pipeline was opened in May 2020 and transfers about 2 million litres of water a day from Glenbawn Dam via Scone.
-
READ MORE: The endless drought has brought Murrurundi's residents to the brink physically and mentally
More than $13 million was provided by the state government's Water Security for Regions program and Upper Hunter Shire Council provided the balance.
On another front, studies into the viability of the 450 gigalitre Camerons Dam project are continuing.
The project, which was first floated more than 30 years ago, would be built on the Pages River near the 1335 hectare Camerons Gorge Nature Reserve between Murrurundi and Scone.
This will be AHR's 11th run with hay donations coming from Victoria and Southern New South Wales.
The convoy of 34 trucks, with hay donations coming from Victoria and Southern NSW, will set off via the Hume Highway travelling through Sydney via the M7 and M2 around 9:30am, onto the M1 with a rest stop at the Ampol Service Centre Wyong around 10:30am.
They will continue up the M1 onto the Hunter Express Way around 11am to arrive in Merriwa early afternoon.
The trip has been made possible with the support of the NSW Rural Assistance Authority, Scott Stevens and the Heyfield Lions Club, Ray Akers of Gippsland Hay Relief, Steve Carton of Denman Lions Club and Linda Widdup and her team of volunteers.
