Water portfolio chair Cr Roz Frohloff

February 16, 2017

A fire which broke out at the Hivesville landfill on Friday afternoon, February 3 is believed to have been deliberately lit.

Council staff and the landfill contractor responded as soon as they were advised, Cr Roz Frohloff told Wednesday’s Council meeting.

The contractor continued working the following day to ensure the fire was put out, assisted by local rural fire services who made sure the fire was contained to the landfill by back-burning.

Cr Frohloff said she was very grateful to volunteer fire fighters wherever they lived in the South Burnett, and wanted to say “thank you” for the important contribution they made to the community.

South Burnett Mayor Keith Campbell agreed, saying there were suspicions a fire which razed the Goodger wetlands on January 7 had also been deliberately lit.

Up to 27 brigades were required to control that fire, along with two bulldozers and a pozitrack.

He said it baffled him that people would deliberately light fires, especially given the current weather conditions.

Cr Frohloff said residents needed to be aware that lighting fires at any of the Council’s waste facilities was strictly prohibited.

This was because it was not only potentially dangerous to anyone involved, but also the surrounding community.

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Cr Frohloff said she also wanted to issue “a gentle reminder” that all town areas in the South Burnett are currently on Level 2 water restrictions.

“This means that anyone using town water is not allowed to use sprinklers and/or soaker hoses in the garden,” Cr Frohloff said.

“Watering outside can only be done on alternate days using hand-held hoses during restricted hours.

The alternate days depend on a resident’s street number – odd or even – and no watering can be carried out at all on Mondays.

Cr Frohloff noted that Council and Government facilities operated under the same restrictions, but on different days.

They can only water on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays between 6:30am and 9:30am.

More information about water restrictions can be found on the Council’s website.

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The long process of upgrading and refurbishing Murgon’s water treatment plant is nearing completion.

Cr Frohloff told the meeting construction work associated with the upgrade was completed before Christmas.

Since then, contractors have been washing and loading new filter media into the two filters yet to be reinstalled and ensuring the control system integrates properly with Council’s existing system.

All going well, the remaining filters will be installed and commissioned by the end of February.

“Having all three filters refurbished and more automatic controls for the plant is a great asset for Murgon,” Cr Frohloff said.

“This will translate into reduced run times and chemical usage, which will reduce operational costs.

“It will also extend the life of the plant, which is another cost reduction.”


 

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