[Bermagui Community] Important! LEVEL 4 WATER RESTRICTIONS IN PLACE - Extreme measures to secure water supply

Wed Feb 12 13:55:05 AEDT 2020

FYI - see the Council Media Release below

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: bhagya <devabhagya at bigpond.com>
Date: Wed, 12 Feb 2020 at 1:12 pm

Hi everyone,

Council has sent out this media release about water restrictions in place
for all users of the Brogo Dam so Quaama, Cobargo, Bermagui, Wallaga Lake
communities and the Koori village.
The runoff from the rain has made the dam VERY murky so they are trucking
water from Bega to the chlorinator until other measures have been put into
place.
It's a constant convoy, barely adequate if we all behave and extremely
expensive, so please use water very carefully until further notice.
Please pass this message along, especially to a Bermagui list if there is
one?
More info is available on the BVSC facebook page.

Cheers,

Bhagya

[image: http://www.begavalley.nsw.gov.au/BVSC_Email/BVSC_LOGO.png]

*Justin Welsford*
*Communications Officer*

PO Box 492, Bega NSW 2550
*P.* (02) 6499 2155 *M.*0418845918
*E.* jwelsford at begavalley.nsw.gov.au

*www.begavalley.nsw.gov.au <http://www.begavalley.nsw.gov.au/>*

We wish to acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the lands and waters
of the Shire
- the people of the Yuin nation and show our respect to elders past and
present.

Check out all the latest news and events at Council on
www.begavalley.nsw.gov.au.

*From:* Communications
*Sent:* Wednesday, 12 February 2020 10:44 AM
*Subject:* Media Release - Extreme measures to secure water supply

*Extreme measures to secure water supply – Level 4 restrictions*

*12 February 2020*

As the saying goes – extreme circumstances require extreme solutions and
that is most certainly the case with the work currently being done to
secure the safe supply of water to the communities in the north of our
Shire.

The Brogo-Bermagui Water Supply System, that is largely fed by the Brogo
Dam and subsequently the Brogo River, takes in Quaama, Cobargo, Bermagui,
Beauty Point, Fairhaven, Wallaga Lake, Wallaga Lake Heights, Akolele and
Wallaga Lake Koori Village.

On the back of the Brogo River/Brogo Dam catchment being largely burnt by
the Badja Forest and Werri Berri Fires and the heavy rainfall event over
the past few days, the quality of the water available from this key source
to supply these areas is now extremely poor.

Therefore, local contractors have begun carting all the water used in the
Brogo-Bermagui Water Supply System from Bega and Level 4 water restrictions
have also been introduced for this system to support this move and ensure
an adequate level of water remains available.

Under level 4 water restrictions, water may only be used outdoors for
essential health and safety purposes. The use of water outdoors for garden
watering, washing cars and boats, or for any other purpose is not
permitted.

Bega Valley Shire Council’s Water and Sewer Manager, Chris Best, said while
the rain was certainly welcome, it has brought with it some significant
challenges.

“Brogo Dam rose from 10% to overflowing in just one day. The water flowing
into the dam is full of sediment, ash, soot and debris,” Mr Best said.

“With the turbidity levels subsequently being measured at well over 100
times the critical control level, the Brogo River supply has been isolated
and emergency measures put in place.

“These emergency measures include carting water from Bega, re-commissioning
the supply of water from Couria Creek Weir in the north and the
installation of flocculation and sedimentation tanks at Brogo.

“We are also working closely with the Australian Defence Force to secure a
portable water treatment plant and NSW Health, WaterNSW, and the Department
of Planning Industry and Environment are providing advice and support.

“In regard to the water carting program, we are talking about transporting
up to a million litres a day from Bega – an expensive task with trucks
working non-stop around the clock.”

He urged people reliant on the Brogo-Bermagui supply to reduce their water
use immediately (inside and outside), to help protect supply.

“Please think about how long you spend in the shower and how often you run
your washing machine and dishwasher – every drop you save helps secure our
water supply,” Mr Best said.

“Without a significant reduction in demand there is a possibility we will
need to resupply water from the Brogo River before it has reached desired
quality levels.”

If this occurs, the water supplied to the system will likely be discoloured
and have a noticeable smoky taste and smell. Boiling water will likely be
required to disinfect all water used for drinking or cooking. A boil water
notice may also be necessary for alternative supplies from Couria Creek
Weir and Tilba Dam.

We acknowledge the difficulty this situation will create for many people
and businesses in an area of the Shire that has suffered from the recent
bushfires and we thank everyone in advance for their understanding and
cooperation during this difficult and challenging time.

For more information on water across our Shire, visit
www.begavalley.nsw.gov.au/water

*Photographs *

*Water Carting: Water and Sewerage Services Operations Superintendent,
Bruce Powell, coordinating water carting and delivery to Brogo Balance Tank
1 on Tuesday.*

*Brogo River: Brogo River (near the BVSC pump station on Tuesday) – poor
water quality from rainfall across the catchment burnt by recent bushfires
has compromised supply from this source.*

*END*

[image: http://www.begavalley.nsw.gov.au/BVSC_Email/BVSC_LOGO.png]

*Justin Welsford*
*Communications Officer*

PO Box 492, Bega NSW 2550
*P.* (02) 6499 2155 *M.*0418845918
*E.* jwelsford at begavalley.nsw.gov.au

*www.begavalley.nsw.gov.au <http://www.begavalley.nsw.gov.au/>*

We wish to acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the lands and waters
of the Shire
- the people of the Yuin nation and show our respect to elders past and
present.

_______________________________________________
QuaamaCommunity mailing list
QuaamaCommunity at scpa.org.au
http://scpa.org.au/mailman/listinfo/quaamacommunity_scpa.org.au
-- 
Geoffrey Grigg
geoffgrigg at gmail.com
*0428 244 811*
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