Water precautions have been lifted and water is safe to drink without boiling. Some common questions the council has been receiving and their response below. Q) How long was the water not fit for general consumption and how do we know the water is now safe to drink? An automated alarm system designed to alert on call staff of a breakdown in the Alum dosing equipment (Alum removes particles in the water) failed, sometime after 8pm Thursday 27 June. At no time have tests conducted by Council on Friday 28 and Saturday 29 June, shown a serious impact on the general water quality in the Bathurst network. Testing of reservoirs around the city showed the water that would have been affected by the faulty equipment would only have reached a number of the reservoirs in the network. It was due to the quick response of Council staff in manually adding chlorine to the affected reservoirs, that the impact on the water network was minimised. Q) How can the safe drinking water results change within 24 hours? How do we know there is no more contamination in our system? A)The fault occurred with an automated warning system at the water filtration plant that has now been fixed. Rigorous testing by Council staff and then by independent laboratory in Sydney shows Bathurst’s town water supply is within the NSW Health Safe Drinking Water Guidelines. Q) Why was the Boil Water Notice issued? A) Council understands that while a Boil Water Notice can seem confronting, however it is a precautionary measure. While the actual extent of the impact on water quality caused by the partially treated water entering the network on Friday is determined, (through rigorous testing in a specialist lab in Sydney,) Council has, in conjunction with NSW Health, acted in good faith to inform the community to take precautions and boil water for general consumption. At no time have tests conducted by Council yesterday and today, shown a serious impact on the general water quality in our network. Q) Why did it take Council so long to respond? A) Council staff responded to the issue immediately by rectifying the situation and following appropriate response procedures in accordance with the Department of Health Guidelines. Council began advising the public as soon as the alert was given by NSW Health mid morning by making phone calls to all emergency contacts including schools, childcare centres and advising the media. Council staff then extended this to restaurants, cafes and CBD food premises by hand delivering notices Friday afternoon. The notification system is reliant on the public having access to media or via advised organisations. It is not possible for all residents to be personally notified. Q) How will Council continue to test the quality of the water? A) Council, in conjunction with the New South Wales Health Department, conducts a monitoring program to ensure the treated water complies with the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines 2011. The water is regularly tested for a comprehensive range of organic and inorganic indicators. Q) How can we be confident in the quality of Bathurst’s town water in the future. A) This incident is the first time a Boil Water Alert has been issued for the Bathurst water network. Council continues to deliver a high quality of water to its residents and will continue to monitor and make improvements to the service. For more information about safe drinking water guidelines for NSW visit www0.health.nsw.gov.au/PublicHealth/environment/water/drinking_water.asp Q) We are used to seeing “dirty water” in Bathurst what is Council doing to fix the problem? A) The fault in the filtration plant system is a random unexpected breakdown of equipment. The affects from this problem are unrelated to the “dirty water” experienced by some sections of the network in warmer weather. However, Council is currently undertaking a trial to remove Manganese from the water which is treated at the Water Filtration Plant for town use. Early results from this trial have been very positive. Council has committed over $4million in its 2013/14 Delivery Plan to making upgrades to its water network including extension of the manganese removal project Q) Is the water safe to drink when discoloured? A) Council carries out weekly water quality testing and whilst discoloured water may appear unpleasant, the water quality tests show discoloured water is safe to drink and is not a hazard to health. Discoloured water does not cause stomach upsets or diarrhoea. Mild or moderate cases of dirty water usually only pose aesthetic concerns and the water remains safe to drink. Q) Why does discoloured water happen in Bathurst? A) Bathurst has had reticulated water for over 120 years and while the system largely works very efficiently, at times discoloured water can be an issue. Discoloured water in hot weather is usually caused by Manganese which is common in many drinking water supply systems in Australia. In Bathurst, the soils in our catchments contain manganese and some iron which is very difficult to remove completely during the treatment process. Over time the manganese is deposited on the walls of pipe work where it normally stays in a biofilm unless disturbed. Consequently, it is worse where the pipe work is older. Manganese can be disturbed when the flow (speed) of water in the pipe is increased. This increase can be due to a water main break, a shutdown for maintenance, a large demand on the water supply due to a fire or high water demand due to warm or hot weather. For more information about Council’s water network visit bathurst.nsw.gov.au/environment/water.html
Posted on: Sun, 30 Jun 2013 01:38:54 +0000
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