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Maintaining Water Efforts

As East Gippsland Water makes further progress in its drive to boost much-needed drinking water supplies for Mitchell River System customers*, everyone is urged to continue conserving water wherever they can.

By East Gippsland Water - 24th May 2007 - Back to News

Recent rain may have provided a welcome boost to water flows down some rivers, but the ongoing impact of a severe drought, and of bush fires on water quality down the Mitchell River, is continuing to be felt.

The latest on efforts to address the Mitchell situation is that drilling work is well underway on a second emergency water bore in the Woodglen area. As with the first, it is being directed towards a largely untapped aquifer and there are plans to drill further bores into this aquifer over coming weeks.

Thorough pump testing of the first bore, to gauge its sustainable yield, has commenced. Here a priority is to ensure that there will be no adverse impact on existing groundwater users or the aquifer itself.

Providing all goes well, it will be brought into operation to help bolster water supplies shortly, once appropriate approval from Southern Rural Water has been received.

East Gippsland Water is continuing to utilise two privately owned water bores in the area, while the number of ‘clarifiers’ treating and cleaning poor quality water from the Mitchell River increases to seven from this week (with another three being delivered before the end of the month).

All these measures are going some way towards meeting current levels of customer demand for drinking water and helping to replenish water storages like Woodglen Reservoir. A notable further boost to the Authority’s water treatment capability will come with completion of a number of large water treatment dams at Woodglen – expected in the near future.

However, according to East Gippsland Water’s Chief Executive Officer, Les Mathieson, there is still no room for complacency, with the Woodglen Reservoir for example still less than 40% full.

"Stage 4 Water Restrictions, the highest level, remain in force for the time being, though we will progressively review this as the position improves", he said. "Rest assured, our engineering, technical and support staff and numerous contractors, are continuing to give 100% to resolve the present situation."

Needless to say, the Authority will keep customers up to date with developments.

NOTE

* Those affected are Mitchell Supply System customers connected to an urban water supply serving Walpa, Lindenow South, Lindenow, Bairnsdale, Eagle Point, Newlands Arm, Raymond Island, Paynesville, Sarsfield, Bruthen, Nicholson, Johnsonville, Swan Reach, Metung, Kalimna, Lakes Entrance, Lake Tyers Aboriginal Trust, Lake Tyers Beach and surrounding areas.

Stage 4 Water Restrictions (applying to all East Gippsland Water customers within the Mitchell River Supply System, as well as to all customers in Omeo and Swifts Creek) -

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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