Following close to three years of extensive upgrades to the town’s water network, the Gloucester water upgrade is in its final stages of delivery.
With all civil works at the Cemetery Road reservoir site expected to be completed by the end of March, the project will transition into the commissioning phase in April as the new reservoirs are brought online and existing elements of the network are decommissioned.
MidCoast Council’s Director of Infrastructure and Engineering Services, Rob Scott, said it was exciting to see the project so close to completion.
“This project has been underway for some time now and has faced a number of challenges, but we’re really looking forward to being able to deliver an improved level of service to our customers in Gloucester and Barrington,” said Mr Scott.
“Not only will the project eliminate many of the water pressure issues that have been affecting customers in certain areas of the town, the storage provided by the new reservoirs will reduce the need for our operators to pump from the Barrington River during times of high rainfall and turbidity, which will allow us to better manage water quality in our system.”
Mr Scott said the commissioning phase would be completed in several stages throughout April to ensure the changes to the network were implemented gradually and any potential issues could be more easily identified and addressed.
The changes will occur in the following order:
- The new 7 million litre concrete storage reservoir will be brought online to provide water to the industrial area and the southern part of Gloucester. At the same time, modifications will be made to the incoming pipework at the existing reservoir at Cemetery Road.
- The new elevated steel reservoir will be brought online and the existing pressure pumps throughout the town will be decommissioned.
- The 7 million litre concrete storage reservoir will begin supplying water to the remainder of Gloucester and Barrington. The existing reservoirs at Tyrell Street and Ravenshaw Street will be decommissioned.
The commissioning phase is likely to be completed by the end of April, with the project expected to be all finished by early May.
Mr Scott thanked the community for their ongoing patience and cooperation.
“This has been a major overhaul to the network that has affected many different parts of the town at times and we’re really grateful to the local residents for accommodating such a long project.”
