Mungindi has switched on a new permanent $325,000 water cooling tower to ensure the town’s 600 residents will continue to have safe and high-quality drinking water during weather extremes.

The NSW Department of Planning and Environment has suspended a planned environmental water release from Jindabyne Dam that was scheduled to take place on Thursday 1 December 2022, due to flood operations being undertaken by Snowy Hydro.

The rain keeps coming but the Hunter Valley Flood Mitigation Scheme has protected the community through five major flood events since March 2021.