Improved water pressure in Goondiwindi following filtration plant upgrades

Residents in Goondiwindi should notice improved water pressure at their properties following the completion of upgrades at Goondiwindi Regional Council’s George Street water filtration plant.

Council has finished work to replace and upgrade the pumps at the plant, which will increase water pressure and flow rates to properties in the central area of Goondiwindi.

Cr Rick Kearney holds Council’s portfolio for water and sewerage and said the upgrades at the George Street plant have increased the water pressure from about 250 kPa to now about 400 kPa.

“After some further testing and network analysis, we hope to be able to further increase this to just under 500 kPa,” he said. “This will ensure we meet the requirements of the Water Supply Code of Australia, as well as the standards needed for compliance for our local fire services throughout Goondiwindi.”

Cr Kearney is reminding residents to monitor their properties for water leaks in the coming days and weeks as the new works come fully online.

“We actually saw an instance this fortnight with a burst water main on the corner of McLean and Sandhurst streets affecting a large part of the eastern end of town,” Cr Kearney said. “That took over six hours of urgent repairs late into the night to bring that service back online, and I thank all affected residents for their patience at that time.

“With increased water pressure, we’re likely to also see an increase in leaks in some of the older water mains in the region. I don’t know if many would realise that we have about 186 km of water mains in the Goondiwindi Region alone. Some of those assets are up to 60 years old, while the average lifespan of a water main is about 70 years.

“Replacing and upgrading them all is a mammoth task, which is why we have to chip away year-on-year to ensure they’re up to standard,” Cr Kearney said. “Council usually budgets about $600,000 towards the annual water main replacement program, and also sources external funding for additional projects.

“This year, we’re looking at spending about $1 million to replace water mains in the region for 2021-22.”

Council is currently also working to replace the Riddle Street booster pump with a new dual pump system. The booster station services the western side of Goondiwindi and the new dual pump system will ensure consistent pressure and flow rates.

Council allocated $520,000 towards the Riddle Street booster pump project from the state government’s COVID Works for Queensland program. Work is scheduled to finish in early October and residents are unlikely to notice any difference in their usual water pressure.