The Byron Shire Council’s (BSC) utility manager Cameron Clarke makes some confusing statements in The Echo concerning the Lavertys Gap Water Filtration Plant (LGWFP).
Mr Clarke claims any delay in handing the Mullumbimby water supply over Rous has health and financial grounds. The health implications Mr Clark describes are that the LGWFP is now past its useful process life causing a significant day-to-day risk of meeting modern day Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (ADWG) causing significant risk to public health.
Mr Clarke also claims this situation exists every time there is a moderate to large rain event.
Mr Clarke should describe the risks being caused by rainwater impacting on the ability of the LGWFP to supply safe drinking water. If the risk to public health is so high why has not Mr Clarke made mention of this previously and also what steps during rain events has Mr Clarke put in place to protect the residents of Mullumbimby from the health risks he claims exist?
One obvious action would be to stop the LGWFP from supplying water to the Azalea Street reservoir, does this take place?
The drought emergency water main laid in 2007 is not capable of supplying the whole lower area of Mullumbimby nor delivering the water up to the Azalea Street reservoir, this will requires some substantial increases in infrastructure, is Rous going to pay for the costs of this or is BSC paying for it?
Again we have a Council staffer saying an important piece of Council infrastructure is past its useful life, I hope this has been raised previously, and that Water & Recycling is going to start upgrading its existing infrastructure before it reaches the past its use by date.
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