Water Projects Progressing

Mareeba Shire Council is making significant progress towards the completion of water projects throughout the shire. Mayor Angela Toppin and Councillors received project updates at the Ordinary Meeting of Mareeba Shire Council on Wednesday, 19 January 2022. “The Councillors and I are delighted to hear that the project to replace the asbestos cement water main in Barang Street, Kuranda has been progressing well and that the works should be completed within the next month. This is another step towards delivering our water strategy where we are aiming to replace between 3kms and 4kms of asbestos cement pipe each year, across the Shire.”

The Barang Street project is funded by Mareeba Shire Council and the Queensland government’s Works for Queensland program and was prioritised due to numerous water main breaks occurring in that location in recent years, as well as issues with Queensland Fire and Emergency Services experiencing difficulty with accessing fire hydrants on the undulating terrain. Council’s strategy is not limited to the replacement of water mains and will include a $7.6 million project to upgrade the filtration system at Mareeba’s Water Treatment Plant in 21/22, as well as long-term planned projects to bring the Mareeba Shire back from the ‘infrastructure cliff’ facing the local government. “Ageing water infrastructure is an issue impacting a significant number of Councils across Queensland and Mareeba Shire Council is taking action now to avoid major disruptions to water services.”

Council has also funded the renewal and upgrade of the Granite Creek Sewage Pump Station, located on Byrnes Street in Mareeba. “This is another critical project, with the current pump station having reached capacity and also deteriorating,” Mayor Toppin said. This major project will take approximately 8 months to complete.