February 5, 2014
The South Burnett Regional Council’s problems with the Kingaroy water supply are continuing with news this afternoon that another naturally occurring chemical has been detected in the supply.
Over the past few weeks, trihalomethane (THM) has been detected in water from Gordonbrook Dam – which led to a warning being issued by Queensland Health – and then yesterday an equipment failure at the Gordonbrook Treatment Plant led to Council asking Kingaroy residents to use water sparingly.
These repairs have now been completed but Mayor Wayne Kratzmann said today bromide had now been detected in regular testing. Bromide is associated with a particular type of trihalomethane.
“Increased bromide levels have probably been caused by the drought conditions and until the catchment receives good rains, water will be sourced from Boondooma Dam,” Mayor Kratzmann said.
“Queensland Health are the lead agency and Council is working very closely with them to ensure our residents are informed and advised of any changes to these levels.”
Council has been mixing Gordonbrook and Boondooma water to help bring the THM levels down but to be on the safe side, Queensland Health and South Burnett Regional Council are still recommending that pregnant women avoid drinking tap water.
The Boondooma water also comes at a cost – Council has to purchase it from SunWater – which is possibly why Council is also urging consumers to conserve water consumption and to check for leaking taps.
“Given the amount of rain the region has received so far this year, I would urge all residents to check for leaking taps. A tap dripping at one drip per second uses 33 litres of water a day. This results in wasted water and potentially a higher water bill,” water portfolio holder Cr Barry Green said.
“To check for leaks; turn off all taps, washing machine, dishwasher and any items that use water. Take a note of what number is on your meter. Wait half an hour (without any water use) and check your meter again.”
In 2009 South Burnett Regional Council was criticised in the local media for failing to alert residents and business owners in a timely fashion after E. coli was detected in the Kingaroy water supply; this criticism was echoed after the latest THM alert.
Cr Green said Council was also investigating options to have the processing of results completed quicker.
Council is also considering “all options” for different water treatment regimes.
It says the results from the next round of testing will be provided to Council over the next few days and “further updates will be provided in due course”.
- Related article: Pregnant Women Told To Avoid Kingaroy Water
