Council victors in the cyclonic showdown to keep taps flowing
27 March 2025
It was Tropical Cyclone Alfred in the blue corner and Council’s Water and Wastewater crews in the red, when much of the Tweed’s water infrastructure braved a hard pummelling nearly three weeks ago.
Despite fallen trees, extreme winds, flash flooding and widespread power outages, Council staff fought tirelessly during and after the storm to ensure the community had access to safe water and sewerage services.
Manager of Water and Wastewater Operations Brie Jowett said at one stage nearly two-thirds of Council’s 220 water and sewage pump stations lost power.
“It’s hard to believe that just three weeks ago, we had the majority of our pump stations offline, along with treatment plants disrupted and entire suburbs under Boil Water Alerts,” Mrs Jowett said.
“While we were able to power some of our critical stations with generators, the widespread damage posed a huge challenge.
“The quick action and dedication of our teams were crucial in restoring services so quickly.”
In Bilambil Heights, the situation became particularly complex. A burst water main drained the local reservoir and a power outage disabled the pump station supplying it.
“We couldn’t find the location of the leak in the hazardous conditions before it drained the reservoir,” Mrs Jowett said.
“When we can’t 100% guarantee our water’s safety, we must take immediate action, so we issued a Boil Water Alert to protect the community from potential contamination.”
A similar issue arose in Terranora and parts of Banora Point, where power loss affected the main pump station.
Staff worked in extreme conditions to manually monitor water levels, even climbing the reservoirs during the storm. But again, when the water ran out and there was no pressure in the pipes, the water quality couldn’t be guaranteed, prompting an additional Boil Water Alert.
Mrs Jowett said once the weather passed and crews were able to repair water pipe bursts, Council had to conduct comprehensive testing to guarantee water safety before lifting the Boil Water Alerts.
“We are regulated to the highest standards to guarantee that water is safe to drink. These processes take time and rigorous testing,” she said.
Mrs Jowett said looking ahead, Council was advocating the government to secure funding for generators at critical pump stations, improve emergency communications and enhance community resilience for future disasters.
“Although no system is 100% bulletproof, we are working closely with Essential Energy and the state government to improve our resilience and to safeguard the community,” Mrs Jowett said.