Better water coming for the south

A new water treatment plant in the early stages of planning and development is set to deliver improved water quality to the southern end of the shire.

The new plant will bring the shire’s water treatment in line with national standards, eventually joining the new Bemboka plant and facilities underway in Brogo and Bega.

Council’s Water and Sewerage Services Manager, Chris Best said the new plant will combine with the Yellow Pinch dam to provide improved water quality to the Merimbula, Pambula, Tura Beach, Eden, Millingandi and Wolumla areas.

“A big improvement will be the addition of filtration to the water treatment process,” Mr Best said.

“While currently safe and clean, occasional suspended sediment has long been a feature of the southern water supply. Filtration will significantly reduce water discolouration, and together with better treatment processes the quality of water will greatly improve.

“This is part of an overall upgrade of our water treatment process, replacing old technology with new in each of the shire’s town water networks.

“Current projects are underway building the Bega and Brogo treatment plants and a new facility in Bemboka has been delivering treated and filtered water to the local community since June 2019.

“With a southern treatment plant on the horizon, customers connected to town water in Merimbula, Pambula, Tura Beach, Eden, and Wolumla will have access to a secure water supply with better taste and quality, all achievable with decreased chlorine use when compared with current processes.

“Water security is another big win. In bringing the Yellow Pinch dam online to service more towns, there will be increased emergency options for Eden which currently draws its supply from the smaller Ben Boyd dam.

“This is an important step towards bringing the shire’s water supply system in line with the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines, and we will keep the community informed as this latest project advances,” Mr Best said.

With construction planned to commence around 2025, the next step is to establish a suitable site for the development.

For more information, visit Council’s water supply services webpage.