South Burnett residents may notice changes to their town water occassionally.
During October-November 2024, South Burnett Regional Council did their scheduled air scouring of water pipes. This was started on Monday, 21 October.
Residents may have noticed momentarily discoloured town water or an interruption to the water supply.
South Burnett mayor Kathy Duff said air scouring the water network makes a big difference.
“Council is committed to ensuring the long-term sustainability and efficiency of our water infrastructure,” she said.
“Air scouring of water mains is an effective ‘non-aggressive’ method of cleaning the water mains.”
Air scouring removes the natural build-up of sediment in water mains by injecting a mixture of water and compressed air through a fire hydrant at the same time, directing the flow downstream out another hydrant.
The practice’s high velocity makes it abrasive, allowing the water-air mixture travelling through the pipe to pick up sediment – including iron and manganese – and biofilm.
The cleaning of the pipe ensures the delivery of safe drinking water to meet the Australian guidelines.
Discoloured town water can occur due to a number of reasons, including organic matter build-up in pipes.
In an entry to its video series, council reported that the main factor for discoloured water is elevated manganese levels stemming from raw dam water, which conventional water treatment plants do not remove.
Council reported that chlorine is used to disinfect the town’s water supply and dissolve trace metals, which then causes the water to present as a tea or rust colour.
Air scouring helps to address the issue of organic build-up and manganese sediment.
Council reminded residents that if they notice an interruption to the water supply, toilets may be satisfactorily flushed by quickly pouring a 10-litre bucket of water into the pedestal.
Council apologised for any inconvenience and thanked residents for their patience, encouraging them to keep reporting discoloured water by contacting the SBRC’s Water and Wastewater branch on 4189 9100 or info@sbrc.qld.gov.au.
