Blackball Water Supply Update

Improved weather forecasts have now provided a suitable window of opportunity to complete the installation of the new intake gallery. Following a meeting with our Utilities Maintenance Contractor, we have given the go-ahead to start the work. Residents may see pipework arriving at Blackball ready for installation over the coming days.

Conserve Water and Boil Water Notice

The precautionary boiled water notice and the conserve water notice will stay in effect throughout this work.

Raw water storage levels are around 40% at the time of this update, so we request that residents be additionally cautious of their water use during this time.

The work involves

• Complete damming of Blackball Creek, diverting the flow via an immediately adjacent bypass channel.
• Excavation of the existing intake gallery pipework.
• Preparation of the area for the installation of new filter material and the installation of the new pipework.
• Rock protection installation around the new pipework to protect against erosion.
• The continued pumping of water from upstream, to ensure the continuous supply of water to the Blackball community during works.

Once the new intake gallery pipework is installed, the controlled flow of water will be diverted back into the Blackball Creek channel. The new intake gallery pipework will be developed by flushing to remove any discoloured water which could take several days. Reinstatement of all work affected areas, and return back to normal operations, using the new intake gallery.

We expect that the entire process outlined above, will take around 8 days to fully complete.

Residents should note that a significant amount of traffic will be accessing the water treatment plant area, during the work. Onsite, several machines will also be operating. To ensure the health & safety of the public and staff, the area will be closed to the public.

Council and its Utilities Maintenance Contractor are working hard to reinstate normal water supply services to the Blackball community. We understand this has been a trying time for residents, we have appreciated everyone's patience and understanding while we completed the necessary planning for this installation. We are confident this will provide a much improved and consistent water supply for the community into the future.