Water Carting
If you reside on Rosenthal Road, New England Highway, Wallangarra Road, Sugarloaf Road, Eukey Road, Storm King Drive, Pierpoint St, or College Road you may experience increased traffic and traffic noise between 5:00am to 9:00pm.
Once water carting begins all residents will be required to move to Emergency Water Restrictions. Emergency Water Restrictions requires residents to restrict their water consumption to 80 litres per person per day or less.
There will be a trial of emergency water carting procedures on Thursday 12 December 2019. This is a full day testing of all aspects of the project.
Please note, Emergency Water Restrictions DO NOT come into effect on the date of the trial. For more information on water restrictions please see information above/below.
If you are concerned about the quality of the water in your area please contact Southern Downs Regional Council. You can contact SDRC on 1300 697 372 or by submitting a service request here - https://www.sdrc.qld.gov.au/payments---services/customer-requests.
Southern Downs Regional Council staff will be in contact to discuss your concerns.
Water carting vehicles contracted by Southern Downs Regional Council are required to comply with all Queensland road traffic laws.
If you see a water carting vehicle that you believe has displayed questionable behavior, you can contact Council on 1300 697 372 or by the MySDRC app.
Alternatively, if the vehicle is driving dangerously please contact police.
Southern Downs Regional Council staff will be reading meters of residents connected to the reticulated water supply. If you are found to be using more water than is acceptable under current water restrictions, you will be issued a formal notice from Southern Downs Regional Council. Staff will discuss with you why your water usage may be so high, how you can reduce your water usage, and what assistance is available should you need it.
If you continue to use high amounts of water after a notice has been issued, it is possible that you will receive a fine.
Water will be carted from Connolly Dam raw water line in Warwick to Stanthorpe .
Water will be transferred in to 2 x 1 megalitre tanks which will gravity feed the water into the existing raw water line at the wall of Storm King Dam. Construction of tank, pipe line and water fill stations is nearing completion.
Based on daily use of 1.6ML per day, between 40 and 50 truckloads of water per day are required.
Council has upgraded the turn into Storm King Dam access road from Eukey Road, as well as Storm King Dam access road.
New treatment units are under installation at Stanthorpe Water Treatment Plant to treat the water from Connolly Dam.
New filling points are being installed to allow the trucks to fill with raw water from the Connolly Dam raw water line.
The State Government has committed $2.4 million to the upgrade works as detailed above. The State Government is also paying the cartage costs of $800,000 per month ongoing until February 2021.
It is important that the water continues to be conserved and that the community remains vigilant in their water use to ensure the minimal amount of water is carted and the transportation costs are kept down.
Contingency arrangements are being finalised for water carting to minimise any risk to Stanthorpe water supply from unforeseen events such as road closures due to bushfire, road accidents etc.
The commencement date of emergency water carting is dependent on water quality and quantity. Southern Downs Regional Council will notify residents once water carting begins. Emergency water carting is estimated to commence in December 2019.
Water restrictions are put in place to ensure that the region has enough water to support all residents. Abiding by water restrictions means that the Southern Downs Regional Council can accurately measure how long water supplies may last and can plan accordingly for the future.
Southern Downs Regional Council treats all water to ensure it meets Australian Drinking Water Standards. While there may be minor changes in taste or colour, your water is safe to drink and wash with.