Bay island water being restored after pipeline burst on Sunday

RESIDENTS on Karragarra, Lamb and Macleay islands no longer need to boil their drinking water.

The boil water alert was lifted at 9pm on Wednesday.

A Redland City Council spokesperson said testing had found the water was safe to drink.

“Redland City Council will now stop the supply of bottled water on the three islands and the bottled water pickup points will be gradually closing,” the spokesperson said.

The boil water alert was issued on Monday as a precautionary measure due to the possibility groundwater may have infiltrated the treated drinking water supply when the pipe burst.

Water was restored on Tuesday after a water main on Karragarra Island burst on Sunday.

Anyone who does not have full water supply pressure should phone council on 3829 8999.

Mayor Karen Williams thanked everyone involved in the efforts to provide bottled water to island residents and services involved in the incident management team.

Island volunteers, known as community champions, Lamb Island Residents Association members, the SES and Rural Fire Service were among the volunteers.

They provided water at pick-up points on the three islands and delivered water to Macleay State School and people who could not get to the pick-up points.

UPDATE 4pm

WATER has been restored to Karragarra, Macleay and Lamb islands but residents are advised to boil drinking water until further notice.

This follows the repair last night of a bulk water pipeline on Karragarra Island that burst on Sunday.

An Seqwater spokesperson said they had been progressively recharging the water supply and water pressure should be returning to normal.

“​Some residents may be experiencing dirty water through their pipes and taps as a result of the network flushing being undertaken during the day,” the spokesperson said.

“Residents experiencing dirty water are advised to run the outdoor tap nearest to the water connection until the water is clear.

The precautionary boil water alert is expected to remain in place until Thursday.

Redland City mayor Karen Williams the boil water alert allowed time for the pipe to be sufficiently flushed and water tested to ensure it was safe for consumption.

“People should use cooled boiled water or bottled water for drinking, brushing teeth, washing and preparing food or beverages, preparing baby formula, making ice and bathing infants,” Cr Williams said.

“The good news is that unboiled tap water can now be used for showering and bathing, other than infants, (but minimise water in the mouth), washing dishes (provided dishes are air-dried) and flushing toilets.”

Cr Williams said council had delivered about 28,000 bottles of water on Tuesday, on top of about 13,000 on Monday.

Cr Mark Edwards said community champions on the bay islands and SES were delivering bottled water to residents unable to access the pick-up points.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank our island residents for their patience and understanding during this water outage and while the Boil Water Alert is current,” Cr Edwards said.

“I also acknowledge the great work being done on the ground by our community champions, SES, island Rural Fire Brigades, Lamb Island Residents Association and council staff who have been working tirelessly to support the community.”

UPDATE 9.30am

RESIDENTS of Macleay, Lamb and Karragarra islands should boil drinking water until further notice.

Redland City Local Disaster Management Group issued an emergency alert on Tuesday morning after repairs to the main water line were done overnight.

Bottled water will be available at rural fire stations on the three islands until the boil water alert is no longer in place.

Testing will be done on water at different locations as the water supply is restored.

Seqwater advises that cooled boiled water or bottled water should be used for:

Drinking, brushing teeth, washing and preparing food or beverages, preparing baby formula, making ice and bathing infants.

People should bring drinking water to a boil and then allow water to cool before using it or storing it in a clean, closed container for later use.

Kettles with automatic cut-off switches are suitable for producing boiled water. Variable temperature kettles should be set to boil. 

Unboiled stored water can be used for showering and bathing other than infants (but minimise water in the mouth), washing dishes by hand or in a dishwasher, provided dishes are air-dried and flushing toilets.

UPDATE Tuesday, 6.30am

WATER is being restored to Karragarra, Macleay and Lamb islands but residents are advised to boil drinking water until further notice.

An Seqwater spokesperson said the water main on Karragarra Island that burst on Sunday night had been repaired overnight.

“... Drinking water is being progressively restored to island residents,” the spokesperson said. 

“Most residents should have water supply by early afternoon.”

The precautionary boil water alert was expected to remain in place until Thursday.

The spokesperson said water samples would be taken at different points along the network and tested to ensure there was no concern for public health.

The alert was issued due to the possibility ground water may have infiltrated the drinking water supply when the pipe burst.

Residents should bring drinking water to a boil, then allow it to cool before using it or storing it in a clean, closed container for later use.

Redland City Council will provide bottled water from 6am at the following locations:

The Seqwater spokesperson said efforts to inspect the pipeline and restore water supply were hindered because an artificial lake was created from the burst.

“The time required to drain the lake took longer than first estimated,” the spokesperson said. 

“The pipeline is part of the supply network connecting North Stradbroke Island to the southern bay islands and the mainland.”

UPDATE 8pm

REDLAND City mayor Karen Williams has advised Karragarra, Macleay and Lamb islands residents to plan for another 48 hours of no water.

Cr Williams called on Seqwater to provide more timely information to residents as to when they should expect water to be reinstated.

"We are in the dark as much as residents and I have tonight urged Seqwater to tell people not to expect water at least for another 24 to 48 hours so people can plan accordingly," Cr Williams said.

"Our islands are isolated, which means repairing these issues takes longer and so people need the information to prepare, which is what I have urged Seqwater to do."

Cr Williams said the latest information from Seqwater was that they had found the break and would be working overnight on repairs.

"Originally we were told to expect the repairs to be completed today but now it looks like it could be 24 to 48 hours," Cr Williams. 

"Once you take into consideration having to pressurise the pipes and clear contamination it could be a couple of days yet."

The mayor said council had bought as much bottled water as possible on Monday, sending 13,000 bottles to the island.

"We have had to ration supplies to ensure there was some overnight and we will be sending a further 28,000 bottles tomorrow while we wait to hear some solid timeframes from Seqwater," Cr Williams said.

Council have encouraged residents who leave the island regularly to consider taking bottled water back from the mainland or stay on the mainland should the situation continue.

Redland City Council has bottled water available from: 

The pick-up points will be open until 10pm on Monday and re-open at 6am on Tuesday.

Community Champions and SES have been delivering bottled water to residents who were unable to access the pick-up points.

For help to access water, contact council on 3829 8999 at any time.

Council have indicated that pool, tank or sea water can be used to flush toilets, including septic water tanks included.

They have asked neighbours to help each other out with the use of their tank water.

Council have also indicated that Russell Island pool will be open from 6am on Tuesday, for showering purposes.

UPDATE 6.15pm

ISLAND residents are being given 600 millilitre bottles of water as they head into a second night without running water.

An Seqwater spokesperson said it was unlikely that water would be restored to Karragarra, Macleay and Lamb island on Monday night.

A council spokesperson said 13,000 bottles of water had been sent to the islands on Monday afternoon.

“We are trying to get a further 5000 over there tonight and are sending a further 28,000 over tomorrow,” the spokesperson said.

The Seqwater spokesperson said an artificial lake created on Karragarra Island by a burst water pipeline – which is the responsibility of Seqwater – was hindering progress.

“The pipeline is part of the bulk water network connecting North Stradbroke Island to the southern bay islands and the mainland,” the spokesperson said.

“A channel has been excavated to help drain the lake and allow the pipeline to be inspected.

“Seqwater and its contractor crews will continue to work overnight to ascertain the damage and determine the timeframe for repair.”

Macleay Island resident Jennifer Walker said she had received two 600 millilitre bottles from council and a bucket of tank water from her neighbour.

“I washed with a face washer using the water from my neighbour and I put ice from my freezer into my kettle,” Ms Walker said.

“People can forget washing themselves. It would have been too bad if someone had been fishing and got home to find there was no water.

“I wouldn’t have been able to wash at all if it wasn’t for my neighbour.”

Ms Walker said it was the first time in 16 years of living on Macleay Island that she had lost water.

She said that she had found out about the water outage from the internet.

“If I hadn’t looked online or didn’t have the internet I wouldn’t have had a clue about what was going on,” Ms Walker said.

The Seqwater spokesperson said the majority of the three islands’ households were without water supply and would be until the repairs could be done.

“The precautionary boiled water notice issued this morning will remain in place until the repairs are complete and water quality testing has been undertaken,” the spokesperson said.

UPDATE 2pm

THE pick up point for bottled water on Macleay Island has changed.

It is available from Macleay Island Rural Fire Brigade Station, 276 Central High Road.

UPDATE 11am

SEQWATER and Redland City Council are transporting bottled water to Karragarra, Macleay and Lamb islands and have advised residents who have tap water to boil it before drinking.

It follows a burst water main on Karragarra Island on Sunday night.

Bulk water authority Seqwater expects that it will take at least a further 12 hours for repairs to be done.

A boil water notice issued by Redland City Council stated that the advise was precautionary following a break in the pipeline between North Stradbroke Island and Karragarra Island.

"The break means that groundwater may have infiltrated the treated water," the noticed stated.

Council was transporting bottled water which would be available for pick-up at:

Anyone who is not able to access the water pick-up points should contact council on 3829 8999.

The boil water alert will stay in effect until SEQwater and Redland City Council are confident there is no longer a public health concern.

People are advised to use cooled boiled water or bottled water for:

Unboiled drinking water can be used for:

People should bring drinking water to a boil and then allow water to cool before using it or storing it in a clean, closed container for later use.

Kettles with automatic cut-off switches are suitable for producing boiled water. Variable temperature kettles should be set to boil. 

UPDATE 9.15am

REDLAND City Council is organising bottled water for Southern Moreton Bay Island residents who have been without water since last night.

A council spokesperson said Seqwater crews were repairing the affected trunk main, which was under their control and operation.

Some residents on Karragarra, Macleay and Lamb islands have no water.

“Council is in the process of organising bottled water to assist affected residents,” the council spokesperson said.

“Council is working with Seqwater to keep residents notified of when the water supply will be shut off to carry out the repair works.

“Island residents that still have access to tap water should take appropriate measures to prepare and store drinking water in suitable containers.”

Council is yet to announce where residents will be able to collected bottled water.

Water supply to Russell Island is not affected.

EARLIER

A WATER main burst on Karragarra Island on Sunday night, leaving many residents without water.

Redland City Council said via social media that water supply to Karragarra, Macleay and Lamb islands had been affected.

Seqwater and council were on site about 9pm to fix the burst water main.

Council recommended island residents who still had access to tap water stored the water in containers.