By JONATHON HOWARD
MORE than $5 million is needed to bring Allora’s water up to Australia Drinking Water Guidelines, according to a report presented to Southern Downs Regional Councillors yesterday.
The report, prepared internally by council staff, was entitled “Allora Water Supply – Report on Water Quality Upgrade” dated May, 2013.
The report concludes that the Allora water supply fails to comply with the Australia guidelines due to “total hardness” and “total dissolved solids”.
However, the report said that although the water does “not pose a health risk”, water hardness damages pipework, affects the accuracy of council’s meters, and shortens the life of domestic appliances.
According to the report the most effective way to address the issue was to connect the Allora Water supply to the Warwick Water supply via a 21,500-metre pipeline.
The pipeline was estimated to cost $5m and council’s electricity costs would increase by about $10,000 per year due to pumping the water through the pipeline.
Consideration was given to offsetting the capital cost of the pipeline by installing a sewer pressure main in the same trench to transport sewage from Allora for treatment in Warwick. However, the pressure main was rejected on public health, cost, and engineering grounds.
The proposed route of the pipeline traverses a number of private properties and the report stated that a new lot would need to be excised from private property for a reservoir site at Willowvale.
“Council may wish to commence negotiations to acquire this land from the relevant landowners,” the report said.
