17 December 2020
Uki residents are being urged to reduce water use as Tweed Shire Council continues tankering drinking water supplies to the village.
The Uki Water Treatment Plant is not producing drinking water as the raw water quality in the Tweed River is poor due to too much dirt and debris following further heavy rain.
Council had been ready to bring the plant back online after floodwaters inundated some equipment on Monday night, cutting power to the pumps that draw raw water from the river into the plant for treatment.
While the power had been restored and the raw water quality had improved, the latest burst of heavy rain last night again inundated equipment, cutting power to the raw water pumps and bringing a further flood of dirty and debris-filled water.
Power has once again been restored, but the plant will not be brought back into operation until the raw water quality improves so it can be treated to the standards required under the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.
“We ask all Uki residents to minimise their water consumption to essential use only until we can restore the local supply and stop tankering water,” Manager Water and Wastewater Operations Brie Jowett said.
Uki residents are reminded that the reticulated water supply to the town is being supplied from Bray Park Water Treatment Plant and is safe to drink.
Meanwhile, water restrictions at Tyalgum were lifted today after the raw water quality in Tyalgum Weir improved sufficiently for that local water treatment plant to be brought back online.