Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council has awarded the construction of the replacement of water pipes to Killard Excavations.

Council's deputy general manager Phil McMurray said Killard would complete the entire project and was ramping up planning.

Council staff have met with Killard with December floated as initial start date, however it could get started earlier depending on the workload of its construction crews.

There's around 60 kilometres of water pipes beneath our feet and Mr McMurray said 19 kilometres - around a third were being replaced.

“They could be in town for the next couple of years,” Mr McMurray said.

"We're confident they will put all their resources into it and make it as painless as possible."

The initial work is funded by $2 million from the state government’s Stronger Communities Fund, those funds will cover part of the project. 

Earlier this year, councillors voted to borrow money estimated to be $2.28 million to ensure the project was completed.

Those extra borrowings will still have to be approved by council, however Mr McMurray was hopeful it could soon to ensure the project doesn’t have to restart after the first funds are spent.

Once replaced, dirty water is expected to be a problem of the past for Cootamundra residents, but Mr McMurray urged patience as it would take time to finish the project.

Mr McMurray said the contract included stipulations requiring Killard to contact residents as work progressed.

“We’ve also got a dedicated project manager who will direct communication between the contractor and residents,” he said.

“The contractor has obligations to do appropriate notifications, but we will supplement that through our fortnightly newsletter and social media.”