OPEN CUT WATER LEVEL AT 2 DECADE LOW A new floating evaporator system and ongoing water treatment has helped reduce water levels in the Mount Morgan open cut pit to the lowest levels in 20 years. A Department of Resources spokesperson said the water in the open cut pit is over 5.3 metres below the pit spillway, the lowest it has been for two decades. “Low water levels in the pit help mitigate the risk of water flowing off-site during severe weather events,” the spokesperson said. “This is particularly important as we go into a wet season that the Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting will bring higher than average rainfall across eastern Australia due to La Nina conditions.” The Department previously desilted the Dam 8 freshwater storage in the northern catchment of the site to provide more flood
storage and water supply for the site’s water treatment plant.
More works are planned at Dam 8 to seal the upstream wall of the freshwater dam and reduce seepage into the pit. An impervious seal will be installed on Dam 8 along with a new pump diversion system to direct excess freshwater captured in the dam offsite. Together these will help to proactively manage water levels in the pit. The pumping component of the project will have capacity to move approximately 40 megalitres a day of freshwater from the dam to the Dee River during extreme weather events. The pumping project is expected to be completed this year, with the sealing of the dam expected to commence in early 2021 and be completed by June 2021.
The Department of Resources has recently implemented a trial of five floating evaporators in the open cut pit, increasing operational efficiency and flexibility of the site’s existing land-based evaporator system. The floating evaporators have been operational for the past 3 months and collectively reduce the water level in the pit by up to two megalitres each week. The units are fully automated and adjust to weather conditions including humidity, wind speed and wind direction. This minimises spray drift, noise and any interference with other site infrastructure.
Their low position on the pit coupled with the use of small submersible pumps means they generate very little noise and ensures there is no risk of impacts to the local community.
MOUNT FACES LEVEL 5 WATER RESTRICTIONS Level Five Water Restrictions were implemented in Mount Morgan from 1 December, following the news that the No. 7 Dam has fallen to 15% capacity. Water Councillor Donna Kirkland said 15% was the trigger for Level 5 restrictions under Council’s Drought Management Plan. “The Mount Morgan community have been doing incredibly well – they are easily the most waterwise community in our whole region,” said Cr Kirkland. “In October for example, residents averaged just 0.91ML per day which is lower than the target
of 1ML per day for Level 5 restrictions. “The Level 5 restrictions mean hoses can no longer be used for private gardens: buckets and watering cans should be used between 7am and 8am or 5pm and 6pm instead. Car washing is also prohibited. “The target is for the community to use no more than 1ML of water per day which was achieved in October, but the weather is warming up now and we would normally see a rise in water usage to go with that. “It is worth noting that these restrictions only apply to potable
water, so you’ll still see Council carrying out work with recycled water.” Divisional Councillor Cherie Rutherford said Council would not leave residents without water. “By implementing these restrictions there is approximately 9 months’ worth of water left in the dam, and if the situation gets significantly worse we can transport water from Gracemere up to Mount Morgan,” said Cr Rutherford. “However, everything we can do – especially as the weather warms up – to keep our usage down is important,” she said.
MOUNT MORGAN ARGUS DISCLAIMER The Mount Morgan Argus is published by Mount Morgan Promotion and Development Inc, 1 Railway Parade, Mount Morgan. The opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the publishers. MMPAD reserves the discretionary right to alter, omit, reclassify or postpone publication of articles, photographs or advertisements in the Mount Morgan Argus. MMPAD takes all possible care with the publication of news, names and other information sourced by MMPAD representatives. It does not, however, take responsibility for erroneous information or spelling supplied by external sources. Please take care and ensure that information is correct and names are spelt correctly before submitting any items to this publication. MMPAD Executive
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