Welcome

It has been a productive month for Redland Water and Waste with several major projects well underway or nearing completion:

• The Cleveland waste water treatment plant dechlorination project commenced in March this year and is expected to be completed during June.
• Construction of the new Point Lookout waste water treatment plant is on schedule for completion in August, with final commissioning in January 2017.
• At Cleveland Showgrounds, an upgrade of pump station 6 will be completed in June. • Birkdale Transfer Station remediation is expected to be completed in July.
• The switchboard is currently being replaced at our second largest pumping station, pump station 29 at Thorneside.

Pump station 6

An upgrade of pump station 6 at Cleveland Showgrounds is nearing completion. The new infrastructure will be commissioned in May, with site works to be completed in June.

Pump station 6 is the biggest pump station in the Redlands. It services the majority of Cleveland’s residents and feeds sewage directly to the Cleveland waste water treatment plant.

Costing more than $3 million, the upgraded pump station will be able to hold and pump a greater capacity of waste water. Odour reducing technology has been incorporated into the design, which is a welcomed improvement for the community. The new station has eliminated the need for an inline booster station (pump station 128) halfway along the 3km rising main. Council has replaced a high risk AC pressure main as part of the project, which will reduce the risk of any bursts.

Originally built in the 1970s, the existing pump station has reached the end of its functional life and will be demolished on completion of the new facility.

Did you know?

Council currently manages and services 138 sewer pumping stations. These pumping stations play a vital role in the distribution of waste water across the city and feed directly into our waste water treatment plants. In 2014/15, we treated 11,164ML of sewerage in the Redlands, including residential and non-residential properties and trade waste.

What is a pumping station?

Sewage collected from houses normally runs downhill towards a treatment plant. In fact, there are approximately 1000km of gravity sewerage lines in the Redlands. In some locations, it is not possible for waste water to run downhill all the way to the treatment plant and a sewerage pumping station is needed to ‘lift’ the sewerage higher, or push it onto a treatment plant, depending on the surrounding terrain. These stations are designed with system backups due to regulatory requirements. They are a key component of the transportation of contaminated waste from households to a controlled treatment facility.

Most stations run autonomously, 24 hours a day, with alarms triggered when certain components fail. There is little public knowledge of their function, or that they even exist.  The majority of stations in Redlands are relatively small, being approximately 2m in diameter and are often buried underground. They have a vent pole about the size of a light pole and a small control box the size of a large bar fridge.  There are a few larger pump stations in the Redlands, which are more than 10m underground and capable of moving tons of material per hour, all of which is done consistently and quietly, with amazing efficiency.

What causes sewage overflows?

There are two main causes of overflows: inflow and infiltration.  An inflow occurs when surface water enters the sewerage system, usually via a broken manhole lid or residential properties that have illegally connected drainpipes from the roof directly to the sewerage.  Infiltration means that ground water has leaked into the sewer pipe system through cracks in pipes, half of which belongs to Council’s sewer system and half of which is residents.

Occasionally, overflows may be caused by blocked sewer pipes from tree roots, collapsed sewer pipes, multiple mechanical or electrical failure at pumping stations, excessive fat or ragging from items such as wet wipes.

Our pumping stations are designed to meet peak demand times, with additional back-up pumps used to manage excess flows. Our team are on standby 24/7 to deal with emergencies.  If you see a flashing light at one of our pumping stations, please call Council on 3829 8999 any hour of the day or night.

External water quality audit

In April 2016, Redland Water submitted its first regular Drinking Water Quality Management (DWQMP) Audit Report to the Regulator. Viridis Consultants Pty Ltd was engaged to undertake the audit and reported favourably, stating that Redland Water demonstrated a very high level of compliance in accordance with the Water Supply (Safety and Reliability) Act 2008. No major non-compliances identified.

How do we ensure top quality drinking water?

• Regular verification water monitoring is undertaken, with 47 parameters tested, including free chlorine, pH, turbidity, fluoride, disinfection by-products concentration and  bacteria detection (such as E. coli and total Coliforms).
• Mains flushing is scheduled, as well as additionally undertaken as required.
• Chlorine residual is maintained through distribution system to protect against contamination.
• Weekly inspections of the Redland City Council reservoir.
• Incident management processes and training are in place when incidents occur.

The quality assurance process ensures that we continue to deliver high quality drinking water to the community. A special thank you to those involved in the auditing process, including the Redland Water laboratory staff who do a fantastic job collecting and analysing hundreds of water samples from North Stradbroke Island, South Moreton Bay Islands and mainland every year.

Where does our drinking water come from?

Redlands is connected to the South East Queensland Water Grid which is managed by Seqwater. Water is sourced from several locations, treated and distributed to residents across the city.

These sources include:

• Herring Lagoon, North Stradbroke Island – This water is treated at Seqwater’s main treatment plant in the centre of North Stradbroke Island and typically provides water to Southern Moreton Bay Islands residents. It is also used to supply the mainland reservoir complex at Heinemann Road.
• Ground water bores, North Stradbroke Island – This water is also treated at Seqwater’s treatment plant in the centre of North Stradbroke Island and also provides water to Southern Moreton Bay Islands residents and the mainland reservoir complex at Heinemann Road.
• Brisbane River – Water from the Brisbane River is treated at the Mt Crosby Water Treatment plant and then transported to Redlands via Seqwater’s Eastern Pipeline Interconnector into the Heinemann Road reservoirs.
• Leslie Harrison Dam – This water is treated at Capalaba water treatment plant and distributed across the northern part of the city.

If your water tastes differently, it is most likely related to a change in the mix of water sources. North Stradbroke Island townships of Dunwich, Point Lookout and Amity Point are not connected to the South East Queensland Water Grid. Bulk water for these townships is supplied by Seqwater and drawn from small, individual water treatment plants that treat bore water.

 Be careful around your drinking water connection line

Redland City Council is responsible for water quality up to the water meter, which is generally located on the border of your property. What happens to infrastructure after the water meter is the responsibility of a property owner.

Did you know that  drinking water connection lines on private property (from the water meter to your house) are made from plastic that is permeable to chemicals such as solvents, oils, fuel and pesticides? If you happen to spill fuel when servicing a boat or tip out turpentine near the tap after washing paint brushes, you may expose a private property drinking water connection line to contamination and your drinking water will pick up the taste of the chemical spilled.

It is the responsibility of property owners to replace damaged drinking water connection lines on private property. For any issues with drinking water quality, such as an unusual odour, taste, or colour, please contact our Customer Services team on 3829 8999.