One resident said the water has been running constantly for several weeks, and that it is an unnecessary waste when Oberon is on such high water restrictions.

However an Oberon Council spokesperson said that the water is a minor trickle. The council said it is not a leak, but is the water released from the turbidity meter, which measures the particles and cloudiness of the water.

The water is released into a storm water drain and it is this water that has been noticed by residents.

Leigh Robins, director of engineering at Oberon Council, said that the water being released into the native bushland daily from the turbidity metre would be about 50 litres, compared with the one to two million megalitres that can be treated daily at the plant for Oberon. Mr Robins said the 50 litres is not piped back to the dam because the dam is at least one kilometre away and it would be uneconomical to pipe it that far.