Tweed keeps the taps flowing

TWEED Council’s Water and Wastewater crews braved a cyclonic challenge when Tweed’s water infrastructure faced a pummelling last month.

In a battle with fallen trees, extreme winds, flash flooding, and widespread power outages, Council staff fought determinedly during and after the storm to ensure the community had safe water and sewerage services.

Manager of Water and Wastewater Operations Brie Jowett said that nearly two-thirds of the Council’s 220 water and sewage pump stations had lost power at one point.

“It’s hard to believe that just three weeks ago, we had the majority of our pump stations offline, along with treatment plants disrupted and entire suburbs under Boil Water Alerts,” Jowett said.

“While we were able to power some of our critical stations with generators, the widespread damage posed a huge challenge.

“The quick action and dedication of our teams were crucial in restoring services so quickly,” she said.

The situation became complex in Bilambil Heights when a burst water main drained the local reservoir and a power outage disabled the pump station. A similar issue arose in Terranora and parts of Banora Point, where a power loss affected the main pump station.

“We couldn’t find the location of the leak in the hazardous conditions before it drained the reservoir,” Jowett said.

“When we can’t 100 per cent guarantee our water’s safety, we must take immediate action, so we issued a Boil Water Alert to protect the community from potential contamination.”

Staff worked in extreme conditions to manually monitor water levels, even climbing the reservoirs during the storm.

Jowett said once the weather passed and crews could repair water pipe bursts, the Council had to conduct comprehensive testing to guarantee water safety before lifting the Boil Water Alerts.

“We are regulated to the highest standards to guarantee that water is safe to drink. These processes take time and rigorous testing,” Jowett said.

Tweed Council is advocating for the government to secure funding for generators at critical pump stations, improve emergency communications, and enhance community resilience to future disasters.

“Although no system is bulletproof, we are working closely with Essential Energy and the state government to improve our resilience and to safeguard the community,” Jowett said.