A $21 million upgrade to Gloucester's water supply network will begin soon, after FB Contracting was appointed to undertake the construction phase of the project at the 24 March Council meeting.
The project will see a seven megalitre reservoir and a second small elevated reservoir built at Council's existing Cemetery Road site and connected to the water treatment plant via a pipeline that will be constructed from the showground. A gravity water main will also be constructed from the Cemetery Road site to the industrial area and several other mains will be upgraded throughout the network.
Together, these measures will largely eliminate the network's reliance on pressure booster pump stations, which cause continuous pressure fluctuations and fail completely during power outages.
"We're really excited to see this project get underway as it's going to address a lot of historical issues with Gloucester's water supply network," said Council's Director of Infrastructure and Engineering Services, Rob Scott.
"Not only can residents expect consistent water pressure once the upgrade is done, they can also look forward to an improvement in water quality, as the increased storage provided by the new reservoirs means our operators don't have to draw from the river during periods of wet weather and high turbidity.
"The experience we had with recent flooding highlights how important this upgrade is."
Improving Gloucester's water security also remains on Council's long-term radar, but Mr Scott said it was important to fix existing issues with the network first.
"We're committed to improving Gloucester's water security, but it's an expensive project that's going to require a lot of planning and community consultation, and right now we're still in those early planning stages."
The upgrade is anticipated to take around 12 months, with construction expected to begin by June.
