Forbes residents are being advised to take caution swimming or pumping water from Lachlan River after a sewage leak was discovered on Thursday morning.
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The leak occurred from one of the rising sewer mains on the Fitzgerald Bridge, 3km south of Forbes on the Newell Highway.
It is believed to have been caused from ageing infrastructure which resulted in a mechanical failure in one of the valves.
The system was shut down as soon as the leak was discovered to prevent further seepage and the valve was rectified by Thursday afternoon.
While council do not yet know how much effluent escaped into the river, Mr Graham said it is believed to be a minor leak.
“We are not terribly concerned about the volume that would have entered the river and it does not appear to be a great amount,” Mr Graham said.
While there is no threat to town drinking water council advised that people should avoid swimming in the affected areas of the river for the next two to three days.
“We would like to advise property owners on the Lachlan River downstream from Fitzgerald Bridge not to pump river water for drinking without boiling it and to be very careful of coming in contact with the water,” Mr Graham said.
For any further information contact council’s department of engineering on 6850 2874.
