Community Connect Issue 47

WATER TALK

Trees planted following Water Night

The recent wet weather has not dampened the spirits of Rous County Council staff who recently planted more than 1,700 native rainforest and riparian trees at Fosters Spur, Rocky Creek Dam.

This planting follows Water Night in October last year, where Rous committed to planting 10 trees for every Water Night registration.

This work will enhance nearly 40 years of rainforest regeneration at Rocky Creek Dam, our main drinking water source, which is surrounded by the ancient Gondwana Rainforests of Nightcap National Park.

Thank you to the participants of Water Night - and great work Rous County Council bush regeneration team!

Check online for water outage updates

Do you know where to go for water outage information?

Both planned and unplanned water interruptions are published on our website at ballina.nsw.gov.au/WaterOutage

So if you’re ever experiencing low water pressure, or a water interruption, please check online to see if there’s an outage near you.

You’ll also find information on how to report a water leak and helpful water outage tips.

Water meter replacement program update

As part of Ballina Shire Council’s proactive water meter replacement program, council has engaged Want Gas Plumbing to replace 4,000 residential meters over the next two years.

This renewal program started in April 2021 and will cost approximately $680,000. So far more than 1,950 meters have been replaced in Alstonville, Wollongbar, West Ballina, Wardell, East Ballina and Lennox Head.

Why are we replacing the old meters?

Council has approximately 14,000 water meters servicing customers, with 4,000 of these more than 15 years old. Old meters can under read or stop working. Council is replacing these ageing meters to ensure they continue to read accurately.

Will I know when you are coming to replace my water meter?

You will receive a knock on the door to inform you before work starts and your water is turned off, however if no one is home an information card will be left to inform you that your meter has been replaced. Keeping in mind that water meter replacements have a very limited impact on residences, with outages usually less than 30 minutes.Our two-year water meter replacement program is shirewide. Meters will be replaced based on age however other circumstances, such as stopped meters, can take priority. This means that council will be working to a flexible schedule and will not be setting rigid dates for works to be completed in specific suburbs or streets.

For more information about this program visit ballinawater. com.au/council-water-services/water-meter/ replacement-program

Wipes go in the waste

Antibacterial wipes might be hard to find on supermarket shelves, but unfortunately there’s an abundance in our community’s wastewater network.

These products often claim they are ‘flushable’, but we are here to tell you that is not the case. Cleaning, makeup and baby wipes are all made with reinforced material that does not break down like toilet paper. This causes a lot of problems and blockages within our wastewater network, and on average council is fixing three wet wipe blockages a week. These often happen overnight and ultimately the staffing and material costs are worn by the ratepayer.

You are more than welcome to use wipes to keep your surfaces sanitised, we just don’t welcome them down the toilet. Instead, keep your toilet to the three Ps – poo, paper and pee!

Lennox Head new water mains complete

The Lennox Head town centre has been a hive of activity lately with upgrade works in full swing. A lot of this work has been happening underground with the installation of two new water mains.

“Our Water Construction Team have now replaced two new water mains that run along Ballina Street in the Lennox Head town centre. These water mains have been servicing the Lennox community since the 1960s and were due for renewal,” said Ballina Shire Council’s Treatment Plants and Capital Works Engineer, Mr Thomas Lees.

The larger of the two mains serves as the town’s trunk main which supplies drinking water to the entire Lennox Head community. The smaller main supplies water to commercial and residential properties along Ballina Street.

“The nearly 1,000 metres of pipeline is made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE), which is a much more robust material that will likely service the community for the next 100 years,” added Mr Lees.

Our Water Team was able to trial a new system of switching from the old water main to the new main, which reduces the need for water outages.

“Traditionally, we would need to turn off the water to add a new water service, but HDPE pipe gives you more options, including the live tapping system we are trialling, "said Mr Lees.

"Essentially, we now clamp a specialist tapping valve onto the pipework and cut the service over to the new water main in about 15 minutes. This process would previously take 45 minutes.”

Council is committed to upgrading our water assets to improve the reliability of our water network.