Critical water repairs scheduled tomorrow

Cairns Regional Council will undertake critical works to repair a leak along the primary main water line that feeds the Freshwater Treatment Plant from tomorrow (Wednesday 1 July).

The water main, which feeds the treatment plant directly from the Crystal Cascades intake, will need to be shut down and drained before repairs can be started.

It is expected the repairs will take approximately 36-hours to complete and the Freshwater Treatment Plant will be inoperable while this occurs.

During this time, water will be drawn down from Council’s network of reservoirs, supplemented by treated water from the smaller, secondary Behana Treatment Plant.

If residents experience a noticeable drop in water pressure, discolouration of water or an interruption to their service, they should contact Customer Service on 1300 69 22 47.

In preparation for the critical repair works, Council has fully replenished available reservoirs, noting that the water network is currently at reduced operating capacity.

Two reservoirs (Brinsmead and Bayview) are offline and currently undergoing remediation works, and University Reservoir can only be filled to 65 per cent capacity.

This means there is less water available in reserve.

Residents are encouraged to conserve water to help maintain water levels in the reservoirs and network should repairs take longer than expected.

This includes not watering gardens or lawns, delaying high-use activities such as washing cars or topping pools, and taking shorter showers.

Cairns Regional Council CEO Ken Gouldthorp advised that one of the challenges associated with water leaks in buried pipes is that the full extent of the damage was not fully known until the site is excavated.

“In the event that damage is more extensive than anticipated or further delay is experienced, it may be necessary to apply Level 4 water restrictions,” Mr Gouldthorp said.

“Cairns residents are urged to store water today and are encouraged to be extra vigilant with their water use until repairs are completed.”