Chinchilla water network taps into upgrades

Western Downs Regional Council is putting plans in place to strengthen the ageing water supply pipe network in Chinchilla over the coming months.

Five new interconnects have already been placed between the main and the network over the past few weeks, with four to five new pumps to be installed early in the new year.

Acting Mayor Ian Rasmussen says that the older network has been causing a growing number of mains breakages in recent years.

The network was built in the 1960’s as a single line from the reservoir to the tower without any connections, this is how the distribution network has been operating up until now,” he said.

“Any breakages to this single line meant that we had had to cut off the entire network.

“The new interconnects now give us the ability to isolate the water tower and repair sections of pipes without the need to disrupt the whole town.

“The new pumps will be more energy-efficient than the current pumps at the Colamba Street reservoirs, but the most important thing is they can operate at lower flows which won’t cause as much strain on the network, so we can expect fewer breaks once they are installed.

Cr Rasmussen added that Council’s substantial water mains continuity program will be in place in the coming years, with plans to have the new infrastructure in place before the next MelonFest.

This means that the strengthened network will cope much better with a large influx of people using the system.

Residents will be pleased to note that the new pumps will run more quietly than the existing pump system.

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Media Contact: Melanie Coultas | Senior Media & Communications Officer | 0419 048 594