Burst water main – Karragarra Island, Macleay Island and Lamb Island rolling blog: latest update 24 …

9.30pm Wednesday 24 October 2018

Boil water alert lifted for Karragarra, Lamb and Macleay islands

Residents on Karragarra Island, Lamb Island and Macleay Island do not need to boil their drinking water as of 9:00pm Wednesday 24 October 2018.

Seqwater and Redland City Council have confirmed multiple treated water samples of the network over the past two days indicate the water is safe to drink.

Water to the three islands is safe to drink and the boil water alert is now lifted.

Redland City Council will now stop the supply of bottled water on the three islands and the bottled water pickup points will be gradually closing.

Water supply to the islands was impacted following a burst water main on Karragarra Island on Sunday night. Efforts to inspect the pipeline and restore water supply were hindered after an artificial lake was created from the burst. The time required to drain the lake took longer than first estimated.

Water supply was fully restored Tuesday to Karragarra, Macleay and Lamb islands after the successful repair of the burst water main.

Island residents should now have full water supply pressure available through their household taps. If this is not the case, please report your situation to Council on 3829 8999.

Seqwater and Redland City Council thank the island communities for their patience while the repair work was completed and the volunteers who operated the bottled water pickup points and delivered water to those unable to access those points. Our Community Champions and members of the Lamb Island Residents Association, the SES and Rural Fire Service where among the volunteers to support the island communities.

A boil water alert was issued Monday 22 October as a precautionary measure due to the possibility groundwater may have infiltrated the treated drinking water supply when the pipe burst.

4.00pm Wednesday 24 October 2018

Boiled water alert continues for Macleay, Lamb and Karragarra Islands

Water has been restored on all of the islands however the boil water alert remains current. This is to allow time for the pipe will be sufficiently flushed and water tested to ensure it is safe for consumption.

More information about boiling water is available on the Queensland Health website.

Bottled water is available to residents at our three island pick-up points:

Residents who need help accessing water are encouraged to contact us on 3829 8999 for assistance.

7.08pm 23 October 2018 

Boiled water alert continues for Macleay, Lamb and Karragarra Islands

The State Government’s Seqwater has advised water supply has now been restored to Karragarra, Macleay and Lamb Island today, with repairs completed to the bulk water pipe which burst on Karragarra Island.

Redland City Mayor Karen Williams said that most island residents will now have full water supply pressure available through their household taps.

Despite this, it is important for residents to continue to boil water coming through their taps while the Boil Water Alert is current,” Cr Williams said.

“The alert is expected to be remain in place until Thursday to allow time for the system to be sufficiently flushed and water tested to ensure it is safe for consumption.

“Residents must continue to boil tap water for drinking until further notice.

Unboiled tap water can be used for showering and bathing other than infants (but minimise water in the mouth), washing dishes (provided dishes are air-dried) and flushing toilets.

If water remains discoloured it is best not to use it in washing machines and dishwashers.

While Seqwater and Redland City Council officers have been purging the mains water system today to clear sediment and gas from the mains pipes, it is important that households do the same in their home.

Residents wanting to turn on their system are advised that they should turn on the tap closest to their water main and run the water for a few minutes until the water runs clear.

While there may be air and sediment coming from the pipes initially, if the water does not clear after a reasonable time, residents should call Redland City Council 3829 8999 and report their problem and location.

Residents are also advised that they can vent their hot water system if they have access to it, by using the pressure release valve marked on the holding tank.

This is the same process of venting air and letting the water run for a few moments to clear the tank.

More information about water and system flushing is available on council’s website:redlnd.cc/2EC797e .

While the boiled water alert remains in place Council will be continuing to make bottled water available to residents at island pick-up points, with at least 28,000 extra bottles already delivered today on top of the 13,000 yesterday and further supplies on standby if needed tomorrow.

Council has advised that residents can collect what bottled water reasonably need from the three bottled water pick-up points at:

Divisional Councillor Mark Edwards praised the ongoing  efforts of Community Champions and SES and other volunteer agencies who have been delivering bottled water to residents who were unable to access the island pick-up points.

“These amazing people are continuing to help with the distribution of water and more than 70 deliveries of bottled water to residents who still need help accessing water.

“Residents needing help to access water should contact Council on 3829 8999 for assistance,” Cr Edwards  said.

“The community have again shown great resilience, understanding and patience throughout this water outage and the continuing Boil Water Alert.

“There has been substantial progress made today to restoring the system and if people follow the advice, they should now be able to resume most of their normal household routines.”

Further Advice on boiling water

Information regarding boiling water is available from Queensland Health website: redlnd.cc/2NZcAfQ.

11.15am 23 October 2018 

Water being restored  to Macleay, Lamb and Karragarra islands throughout today

The State Government’s Seqwater has advised water supply is progressively being restored to Karragarra, Macleay and Lamb islands throughout  today, following an outage caused by a bulk water pipe which burst on Karragarra Island on Sunday.

Redland City Mayor Karen Williams said some island residents had already reported having some water coming through the taps and pressure and supply would progressively increase throughout the day.

“Even so, it is still important for residents to boil water coming through their taps while the Boil Water Alert is current, which could be for a couple more days yet,” Cr Williams said.

“This is to allow time for the pipe to be sufficiently flushed and water tested to ensure it is safe for consumption.

“People should use cooled boiled water or bottled water for drinking, brushing teeth, washing and preparing food or beverages, preparing baby formula, making ice and bathing infants.

“The good news is that unboiled tap water can now be used for showering and bathing, other than infants, (but minimise water in the mouth), washing dishes (provided dishes are air-dried) and flushing toilets.

“Council is continuing to make bottled water available to residents at island pick-up points, with approximately 28,000 extra bottles being delivered today, on top of the 13,000 delivered yesterday.”

The three bottled water pick-up points are:

Local Councillor for Division 5 Mark Edwards said the Community Champions and SES were delivering bottled water to residents unable to access the pick-up points yesterday and had resumed doing so today.

“Residents who need help accessing bottled water should contact Council on 3829 8999 for assistance,” he said.

“While the Boil Water Alert is still current, I urge Karragarra, Macleay and Lamb Island residents who are travelling to the mainland to pick up some bottled water while they are there.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank our island residents for their patience and understanding during this water outage and while the Boil Water Alert is current.

“I also acknowledge the great work being done on the ground by our Community Champions, SES, island Rural Fire Brigades, Lamb Island Residents Association and Council staff who have been working tirelessly to support and community.”

Advice on boiling water

People should use cooled boiled water or bottled water for:

Drinking, brushing teeth, washing and preparing food or beverages, preparing baby formula, making ice and bathing infants.

Unboiled stored water can be used for:

People should bring drinking water to a boil and then allow water to cool before using it.

Kettles with automatic cut-off switches are suitable for producing boiled water. Variable temperature kettles should be set to boil.

Information regarding boiling water is available from Queensland Health website.

9.00am Tuesday 23 October 2018

Burst water main SMBI

Seqwater has successfully repaired a burst water main on Karragarra Island overnight. Water has progressively been restored overnight to island residents. The Boil ]Water Alert remains active until further notice; Information regarding boiling water is available from Queensland Health:

Bottled water stations have been open since 6am this morning.

Pick-up points are: * Macleay Island Fire Station, 266/276 High Central Rd * Lamb Island – Rural Fire Brigade Station, Lucas Drive * Karragarra Island – Rural Fire Brigade Station, 11 Noyes Road.

For showering purposes, Russell Island pool has been open since 6am.

For updates on repair and reconnection of water supply contact Seqwater on 1800 771 497 or visit the Seqwater website.

7:45pm Monday 22 October 2018 

Water outage and boil water alert continues on Macleay, Lamb and Karragarra Islands

The State Government’s Seqwater has advised that they have located the break in the burst water main on Karragara Island, are in the process of repairing the damage, and will provide an update in the morning.

At this stage water supply has still not been restored to Karagarra, Macleay and Lamb Islands.

We stress that residents must continue to boil stored water and any water that returns through pipes while the Boil Water Notice is in place.  This could be for several days and is to allow for the mains to be sufficiently flushed to ensure public health.

Residents who leave the islands regularly should consider bringing bottled water supplies back from the mainland or even whether they would prefer to stay on the mainland should the situation continue.

Redland City Council has today arranged the delivery of 13,000 bottles of drinking water to Karragarra Island, Macleay Island and Lamb Island. At least another 28,000 bottles will be delivered tomorrow.

Redland City Council continue to make available bottled water to residents through three pick-up points:

The pick-up points will be open tonight until 10pm. New pallets will be delivered to these pick up points, which will reopen at 6am tomorrow morning.

Community Champions and SES have been delivering bottled water to residents who were unable to access the pick-up points today and will resume doing so tomorrow morning.

If you need help accessing water please contact Council’s after hours number 3829 8999 any time to assist.

Pool, tank water or seawater can be used to flush toilets (septic water tanks included).

We are asking neighbours to help each other out with the use of their tank water.

For showering purposes, Russell Island pool will be open from 6am tomorrow.

Water Tankers are currently in transit and will be deployed to each of the three affected islands in the event of a fire emergency.

For updates on repair and reconnection of water supply contact Seqwater on 1800 771 497.

Advice on boiling water

People should use cooled boiled water or bottled water for:

Drinking, brushing teeth, washing and preparing food or beverages, preparing baby formula, making ice and bathing infants.

Unboiled stored water can be used for:

People should bring drinking water to a boil and then allow water to cool before using it or storing it in a clean, closed container for later use.

Kettles with automatic cut-off switches are suitable for producing boiled water. Variable temperature kettles should be set to boil.

Information regarding boiling water is available from Queensland Health website: redlnd.cc/2NZcAfQ.

4:45pm Monday 22 October 2018 

The Boil Water Alert is still current for residents of Karragarra, Macleay and Lamb Island.

Pallets of bottled water are currently being delivered to Macleay, Lamb and Karragarra Island due to arrive around 5.30pm, however if you are on the mainland returning to the island this afternoon we would encourage you to stock up on water before getting on the ferry and continue to boil stored water.

Pick-up points are:

10:50am Monday 22 October 2018 

Seqwater and Redland City Council advise all residents of Karragarra Island, Macleay Island and Lamb Island to boil their tap water used for drinking following a burst water main.

This alert applies to all residents of Karragarra Island, Macleay Island and Lamb Island from 22 October 2018.

Bulk water authority Seqwater is working closely with Redland City Council to resolve the situation. The notice is precautionary following a break in the bulk water pipeline between North Stradbroke Island and Karragarra Island. The break means that groundwater may have infiltrated the treated water.

Redland City Council is currently transporting bottled water to the islands. Pick-up points will include:

Contact Council on 3829 8999 if you’re unable to access water pick-up points.

At the stage, Seqwater anticipates it will take at least 12 hours to repair the water infrastructure on Karragarra Island. This infrastructure also supplies Macleay and Lamb Island. For updates on repair and reconnection of supply visit Seqwater.

The boil water alert will stay in effect until SEQwater and Redland City Council are confident there is no longer a public health concern. Regular updates will be provided to affected communities.

Consuming unboiled drinking water could lead to illness, especially for vulnerable people (e.g. those who are very young, elderly or immune compromised). If you are concerned about your health contact 13 HEALTH (13 43 25 84), your local doctor or local hospital and advise them of your concerns.

People should use cooled boiled water or bottled water for:

Unboiled drinking water can be used for:

People should bring drinking water to a boil and then allow water to cool before using it or storing it in a clean, closed container for later use.

Kettles with automatic cut-off switches are suitable for producing boiled water. Variable temperature kettles should be set to boil.

Residents are urged to share this alert with neighbours and friends.

Contact Seqwater on 1800 771 497 for information in regards to the burst water main and water outage.

For more information about health and safety and bottled water during the outage, visit the Redland City Council website , Facebook page , Twitter or phone Redland City Council 3829 8999.