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On Call 24/7 to Maintain Your Water Supply
When a Clarence Valley resident reports a watermain fault or dirty water complaint, they can expect a quick response within hours regardless of the location or time of day.
A burst watermain can cost Council a lot of wasted water, cause a major nuisance to residents, and affect the productivity of businesses. Therefore, time is critical. Council’s 2022/23 Operational Plan defines the accepted response time to supply failures as two hours from notification during work hours and three hours out of work hours at a 95 percent success rate. To achieve this, at all times Clarence Valley Council has up to six of its Water Cycle staff on call on a rotational roster to respond to emergency situations. Water responsibilities are split into east and west divisions, while there are on call staff dedicated to bulk water (reservoirs, trunk mains), water treatment plants and Shannon Creek Dam. “We have a lot of on call staff. More than people would think,” Water and Sewer Operations Coordinator Andrew Potter said. “There are a lot of ageing assets in the water supply field.” Council’s Water Cycle team has around 40 operational staff dedicated to the huge task of maintaining the infrastructure. Much like the road network above ground, repairs to the water supply network underground include a mix of temporary fixes and complete replacements. Currently underway at Swan Creek is the significant task of replacing three kilometres of 800mm diameter trunk watermain to future proof the water supply to the Lower Clarence. Due to be completed in November, this $5.8 million project is just one stage in a continuation of works to replace the original watermain when the Lower Clarence was connected to the water supply system in the early 1960s. The next section of watermain targeted for replacement as part of Council’s watermain renewal program is from Sheehans Lane to Gulmarrad Public School along the partially refurbished Brooms Head watermain. Meanwhile the replacement of watermains more than 50 years-old on River Street and either side of Coldstream Street commenced as part of the Ulmarra CBD Upgrade in September. “It is standard construction policy to replace ageing underground infrastructure before a road reconstruction takes place, as it reduces the likelihood of having to dig up the new road surface when breakages occur in the future,” Mr Potter explained. The pipes have been installed using trenchless technology, which involves horizontal directional drilling under the pavement and minimises disruptions to the community.
