ABOVE: Richmond River. Photo: Mark Kriedemann
RICHMOND Valley Council staff are flushing reservoirs so that the boil water alert currently in place can be lifted by Monday.
Around 16 megalitres needs to be flushed from the town water supply to ensure there is no risk to public safety.
This will be replaced with freshly treated water which meets the required NSW Health standards.
Yesterday morning, Thursday February 24, there was an hour when the treated water didn’t meet the required standards, which meant there was a risk the supply could impact public health leading to the boil water alert.
The council and NSW Health took a precautionary approach because of the flooding which impacted the health of the Richmond River raw water source.
General manager Vaughan Macdonald said to maintain the quality of drinking water, the council needed to release water at a high-flow rate to clean the mains.
The Casino Water Treatment team was working around the clock to carry out the required actions to facilitate lifting the boil water alert as quickly as possible, he said.
This included a program of network flushing to clear the system of any poor source water.
“We recognise the impact and inconvenience caused by the imposition of a boil water alert to homes and businesses,” Mr Macdonald said.
There was no one cause for the poor source water, which was brought about by recent rain events and flooding, he said.
“A range of factors has contributed to this issue, which highlights the sensitive nature of our catchment,” he said.
Residents are advised to keep boiling water or to use bottled water until the council notifies them that the tap water is safe to drink.
The council will continue its water sampling and testing regime to verify the water is safe before seeking an agreement with the NSW Health to lift the alert.
WARNING: Boil your water if you live in Casino and surrounds, effective immediately
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