AGE really has wearied much of the infrastructure in Lithgow's vital water supply system and the inevitable consequence was painfully evident during major mid Summer failures in the city.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
There were three pipeline breaks that tested both Council's ability to quickly respond and the patience of consumers already anxious about their impending water bills in the wake of the bushfire crisis.
The first of the breaks came just days after the Christmas week fires impacted and had drained the main reservoir before the source of the failure could be detected.
Another in the early new year had even more widespread impact with a difficult location on the old colliery rail siding beside Queen Elizabeth Park meaning much of the city was without water for two days.
Supermarkets faced an unprecedented rush on bottled water.
After a third break that once again saw residents furious about filthy water destroying their laundry items in early February a public petition was launched demanding a solution to the problem.
But the problems have been placed squarely on the age of much of the system and a failure of past administrations to keep adequate records.
General Manager Graham Faulkner has outlined the issues in a city wide letterbox drop.
He said Council acknowledged both the 'inconvenience and water quality' issues.
He said many of the issues were the result of the age of the infrastructure and the type of materials used in the past.
But Council had also face another unanticipated problem in dealing with the breaks.
Mr Faulkner said that quick response to the breaks had been complicated by the failure of administrations over 'decades' to maintain reliable mapping of the location of the mains and valves.
It had also been discovered that over the years unrecorded connections had been made to the dedicated feeder mains which are supposed to be solely for supply between the treatment plant at Oakey Park and the reservoirs.
"There should be no other connections to a feeder main," Mr Faulkner said.
"This explains why the behaviour of council's water network has differed from expectations."
Council has now completed measures to address the situation.
Council has now recommissioned the old Shaft Street reservoir which was taken off line almost 20 years ago.
Also now completed is the renewal of feeder and trunk mains in Bridge, Tank and Inch Streets.
Mr Faulkner said this will permit the hotmix surfacing of these streets, news that will surely please motorists who have been complaining about the condition of the roadways for months.
Mr Faulkner said that council was continuing to work to resolve 'long term issues' with discoloured water in collaboration with the NSW Departments of Health and Planning, Industry and Environment.
"Council continues to monitor the water quality in accordance with NSW Health Drinking Water Monitoring Program," he said.
He advised householders encountering dirty water to run the first tap that services the property for a short time then, if the water does not run clear, contact the council's 24 hour call centre on 6354 9999.
