Australian Drinking Water Map

Yass water has been a problem for years, with some saying it’s making them sick

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05-19/yass-water-drinking-issues-illness-funding-needed/103828440 Courtney Barrett Peters

The residents of the Yass Valley have spent decades fighting for the right to safe and reliable drinking water, and for 16 days this year they were ordered not to drink it.

Most locals of the area, in the New South Wales Southern Tablelands, avoid drinking town water at the best of times.

Gareth Chisholm, who has lived in Binalong in the Yass Valley for 25 years, has experienced the worst of the local water supply through both drought and flooding rains.

“We’re an hour’s drive from Canberra, and we’ve got worse water than if you lived in the Great Artesian Basin. It tastes more like bore water,” he said.

“[When you wash your clothes] your whites don’t come up as good as they should because of the discolouration of the water.”

For the most part, Mr Chisholm is one of 85 per cent in the region who refuses to drink town water and relies on rainwater tanks.

But he found himself unable to reconnect his rainwater tank when he returned home from a hip operation in February — and was unaware a boil water alert had been put in place.

“They didn’t publicise it that well … after about two or three days of being home I was so ill I couldn’t keep anything down for days,” Mr Chisholm said.

Within days he was diagnosed with a bacterial infection, and was hospitalised twice.

“They found that I had been affected by Aeromonas species bacteria — which the doctor explained to me is usually caused by dirty water or brackish water,” Mr Chisholm said.

“I can’t categorically say that [it was caused by] Yass water, but the coincidence is pretty close.”

Local doctor Hannah Burn said Mr Chisholm wasn’t the only one to miss the public health warning, with the council only alerting residents through a post to their social media page and signs on either end of Yass.

“[The medical practice] didn’t receive up-front communication from the council. I found out peripherally via a friend,” Dr Burn said.

“I was becoming aware of people who had become aware of the boil water warning, say seven to 10 days after it had started.”

Dr Burn told the ABC she saw a spike in patients presenting with gastro-like symptoms during the recent boil water alert.

And long after February’s water warning, she said the general water quality remains a major concern for people and their health.

“I would say that there’s an uptick of about 15 to 20 per cent in terms of concerned patients presenting to the medical practice with worries that say a new onset condition might relate to the drinking water,” Dr Burn said.

“The anxiety is certainly out there.”

The Yass Water Filtration Plant — responsible for servicing Yass, Binalong, Bowning and Murrumbateman — had its last major upgrade in 1990.

It’s aging filtering processes mean almost anytime it rains heavily it becomes overwhelmed and unable to filter out large amounts of contaminants from the Yass River, resulting in high levels of turbidity — meaning cloudy or hazy water.

Often it results in long discolouration events for the community, where their tap water runs in shades of yellows and browns, accompanied by odours, taste and textures which can make it unpalatable.

When turbidity levels are at their highest, NSW Health are forced to issue boil water alerts to prevent the community from consuming any potential bacterial contaminants.

Both the local water authority, the Yass Valley Council, and the New South Wales government concede it is not an acceptable situation.

NSW Water Minister Rose Jackson said she readily accepts the issue has gone on for far too long.

Over three decades since last major water filtration plant upgrade

“I’m really sympathetic to [the] community in Yass about how long this has taken. They’ve been dealing with this for decades,” she said.

The area has been promised countless funding commitments by state governments for years, but no amount has ever been near enough to completely rectify the situation.

In an attempt to tide customers over, the plant received $2.2 million worth of minor upgrades in 2022, but the facility’s manager Kuga Kugaprasatham said “it wasn’t enough”, and the community has since experienced an increasing frequency of boil water alerts.

“[The recent boil water alert] is not the last, because anytime it rains and it becomes unsustainable through this treatment plant,” Mr Kugaprasatham said.

“It’s very urgent, because especially any extreme weather event can cause another boil water alert.”

Mr Kugaprasatham said the majority of the plant will need to be replaced in a “once-in-a-lifetime” upgrade as it currently contravenes drinking water standards and, in some aspects, violates work, health and safety measures, which has led to staff retention issues.

“People are very, very tired of this, and not only tired, but it costs a lot of money economically for the people,” he said.

Fixing water plant to cost upwards of $30 million

Between both the Yass Valley Council and the NSW government, around $17 million has been committed to helping fix the plant.

But the council said that would not even cover half of the cost needed, with Yass Valley Council CEO Chris Berry estimating an additional $20 million remained outstanding.

In an attempt to raise the balance, the council applied for a grant from the federal government’s National Water Grid Fund Program in 2023, but were denied due to an error neither the council nor the state government are refusing to bare.

“I don’t really want to get into a blame game … it is true that the Commonwealth funding required a final business case, and that paperwork hadn’t been done,” Water Minister Ms Jackson said.

“Rightfully, [the community is] frustrated about that. I’m sure they are frustrated that submission couldn’t come together for round one.”

Mr Berry said he did not believed they could “put the blame on anybody, really”.

The council has since reapplied for the next round of the federal government’s National Water Grid Funding Program, but it will be several months before the outcome of the application is announced.

It remains unclear how much money the plant could receive if the latest application is approved, with the National Water Grid Funding Program’s website stating local council’s can be provided grants from $5,000 — nowhere near what’s needed to cover the balance.

“We don’t have word from the Commonwealth yet about how much funding they’re willing to contribute,” Ms Jackson said.

Even if the council’s bid is approved it’s still likely to be a long road ahead for the Yass Valley, with no indicative timeline for how long the urgent works will take.

When asked why it has taken so long for the community to see any signs of construction on her 2023 election promise, Ms Jackson said her government has already achieved “tangible” process by settling the latest business case.

“You can’t just spend tens of millions of dollars of taxpayer money without a plan, and I think people, the Yass people, can understand that,” Ms Jackson said.

“I stand by my commitment to the community that construction will begin within the first term of a NSW Labor government. I’ve got three years to deliver on that commitment [and am] happy to be held to account for it.”

Council says funding for council chambers and library cannot be redirected to water

If the council is once again unsuccessful, Mr Berry said a loan may have to be taken out to help raise the remainder — with the cost passed onto the community by increasing their water rates.

It is similar to the money borrowed for the new controversial $50 million council chambers and library, which the council is adamant cannot be redirected to fixing the community’s water situation.

When asked if it is incorrect to say the community deserves to have their fundamental human right to safe and reliable drinking water, Mr Berry said “well so is having public libraries”.

“We’re not just involved in providing basic services for households such as water and sewerage, but we’re also responsible for providing cultural experiences for the community,” he said.

“The council chambers is not just about the council chambers. It’s about a library, a new library [as] our current library doesn’t meet the requirements of the State Library guidelines.”

Yass Valley Council will not offer water rebate

Some locals have threatened to boycott paying their water rates, following the council’s decision not to compensate customers for the latest boil water alert.

Mr Berry said the rebate would have equated to $3.64 per household to cover connection fees for the 16 days, which he said would not even “cover the cost of a coffee”.

“Every time you get up in the morning, you put the kettle on for a tea or a coffee, pour the rest of the water from the kettle into a container, pop it in the fridge and you’ve got drinking water for part of the rest of the day,” he said.

“We’ve had previous water alerts and we’ve never given out any rebates.”

But many businesses and individuals argued this figure failed to take into account other outlays such as the electricity needed to boil the water or the purchase of bottled water, which Mr Berry labelled as a “choice”.

At the time the ABC spoke to Mr Berry, he said no hospitality businesses had raised any complaints with the council.

“If you find [boiling water] inconvenient, but you find it convenient to grab the bottled water, that’s a choice that each customer uses. If you’re using bottled water, you’re not using council water and you’re not paying for it,” he said.

Ms Jackson said she the decision was “not fair”, and confirmed the state government-owned water utility, Sydney Water, provides rebates to customers when there were service disruptions.

“Local water utilities should think about what support they can provide to their customers to make sure that they’re supported during what are difficult times,” she said.

Boil Water Alert for residents of Binalong, Bowning and Yass

August 12 2010

https://www.goulburnpost.com.au/story/6875663/boil-water-alert-for-residents-of-binalong-bowning-and-yass/

Council has said that the Boil Water Alert is likely to be in place for at least one week and could be longer depending on how quickly things settle down after the recent heavy rainfall.

“More rain is predicted at the end of the week and this follow up rain may result in an extension of the Boil Water Alert, depending on its intensity,” a statement issued by the council states.

Acting Director of Infrastructure & Assets, Steven Beasley said that there is no link to the discharge of partially treated effluent from the Lower Molonglo Water Control Centre by ICON Water on Sunday.

“The drinking water supplying the towns of Yass, Bowning, and Binalong is drawn from Yass Dam. The majority of ‘source’ or ‘raw’ water supplies in Australia contain natural levels or organic and inorganic material,” he said.

“The aim of water treatment is to reduce the levels of organic and inorganic material and, in particular, any material associated with pathogens such as protozoa, bacteria, and viruses.

“In the case of Yass, heavy rain caused raw water to become extremely turbid (not clear or transparent because of stirred-up sediment) and compromised the effectiveness of the treatment process.

“Council has a strict water quality management system in place at Yass WTP and turbidity trigger levels were reached, ultimately resulting in the issue of a Boil Water Alert in consultation with NSW Health.”

Residents and businesses will be advised when the boil water notice is lifted through the council’s website, Facebook page, and the local media.

 

 

2020/2024: Binalong Boil Water Notice (NSW). Aeromonas?, Turbidity, Taste & Odour

in , ,

Yass water has been a problem for years, with some saying it’s making them sick

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05-19/yass-water-drinking-issues-illness-funding-needed/103828440 Courtney Barrett Peters

The residents of the Yass Valley have spent decades fighting for the right to safe and reliable drinking water, and for 16 days this year they were ordered not to drink it.

Most locals of the area, in the New South Wales Southern Tablelands, avoid drinking town water at the best of times.

Gareth Chisholm, who has lived in Binalong in the Yass Valley for 25 years, has experienced the worst of the local water supply through both drought and flooding rains.

“We’re an hour’s drive from Canberra, and we’ve got worse water than if you lived in the Great Artesian Basin. It tastes more like bore water,” he said.

“[When you wash your clothes] your whites don’t come up as good as they should because of the discolouration of the water.”

For the most part, Mr Chisholm is one of 85 per cent in the region who refuses to drink town water and relies on rainwater tanks.

But he found himself unable to reconnect his rainwater tank when he returned home from a hip operation in February — and was unaware a boil water alert had been put in place.

“They didn’t publicise it that well … after about two or three days of being home I was so ill I couldn’t keep anything down for days,” Mr Chisholm said.

Within days he was diagnosed with a bacterial infection, and was hospitalised twice.

“They found that I had been affected by Aeromonas species bacteria — which the doctor explained to me is usually caused by dirty water or brackish water,” Mr Chisholm said.

“I can’t categorically say that [it was caused by] Yass water, but the coincidence is pretty close.”

Local doctor Hannah Burn said Mr Chisholm wasn’t the only one to miss the public health warning, with the council only alerting residents through a post to their social media page and signs on either end of Yass.

“[The medical practice] didn’t receive up-front communication from the council. I found out peripherally via a friend,” Dr Burn said.

“I was becoming aware of people who had become aware of the boil water warning, say seven to 10 days after it had started.”

Dr Burn told the ABC she saw a spike in patients presenting with gastro-like symptoms during the recent boil water alert.

And long after February’s water warning, she said the general water quality remains a major concern for people and their health.

“I would say that there’s an uptick of about 15 to 20 per cent in terms of concerned patients presenting to the medical practice with worries that say a new onset condition might relate to the drinking water,” Dr Burn said.

“The anxiety is certainly out there.”

The Yass Water Filtration Plant — responsible for servicing Yass, Binalong, Bowning and Murrumbateman — had its last major upgrade in 1990.

It’s aging filtering processes mean almost anytime it rains heavily it becomes overwhelmed and unable to filter out large amounts of contaminants from the Yass River, resulting in high levels of turbidity — meaning cloudy or hazy water.

Often it results in long discolouration events for the community, where their tap water runs in shades of yellows and browns, accompanied by odours, taste and textures which can make it unpalatable.

When turbidity levels are at their highest, NSW Health are forced to issue boil water alerts to prevent the community from consuming any potential bacterial contaminants.

Both the local water authority, the Yass Valley Council, and the New South Wales government concede it is not an acceptable situation.

NSW Water Minister Rose Jackson said she readily accepts the issue has gone on for far too long.

Over three decades since last major water filtration plant upgrade

“I’m really sympathetic to [the] community in Yass about how long this has taken. They’ve been dealing with this for decades,” she said.

The area has been promised countless funding commitments by state governments for years, but no amount has ever been near enough to completely rectify the situation.

In an attempt to tide customers over, the plant received $2.2 million worth of minor upgrades in 2022, but the facility’s manager Kuga Kugaprasatham said “it wasn’t enough”, and the community has since experienced an increasing frequency of boil water alerts.

“[The recent boil water alert] is not the last, because anytime it rains and it becomes unsustainable through this treatment plant,” Mr Kugaprasatham said.

“It’s very urgent, because especially any extreme weather event can cause another boil water alert.”

Mr Kugaprasatham said the majority of the plant will need to be replaced in a “once-in-a-lifetime” upgrade as it currently contravenes drinking water standards and, in some aspects, violates work, health and safety measures, which has led to staff retention issues.

“People are very, very tired of this, and not only tired, but it costs a lot of money economically for the people,” he said.

Fixing water plant to cost upwards of $30 million

Between both the Yass Valley Council and the NSW government, around $17 million has been committed to helping fix the plant.

But the council said that would not even cover half of the cost needed, with Yass Valley Council CEO Chris Berry estimating an additional $20 million remained outstanding.

In an attempt to raise the balance, the council applied for a grant from the federal government’s National Water Grid Fund Program in 2023, but were denied due to an error neither the council nor the state government are refusing to bare.

“I don’t really want to get into a blame game … it is true that the Commonwealth funding required a final business case, and that paperwork hadn’t been done,” Water Minister Ms Jackson said.

“Rightfully, [the community is] frustrated about that. I’m sure they are frustrated that submission couldn’t come together for round one.”

Mr Berry said he did not believed they could “put the blame on anybody, really”.

The council has since reapplied for the next round of the federal government’s National Water Grid Funding Program, but it will be several months before the outcome of the application is announced.

It remains unclear how much money the plant could receive if the latest application is approved, with the National Water Grid Funding Program’s website stating local council’s can be provided grants from $5,000 — nowhere near what’s needed to cover the balance.

“We don’t have word from the Commonwealth yet about how much funding they’re willing to contribute,” Ms Jackson said.

Even if the council’s bid is approved it’s still likely to be a long road ahead for the Yass Valley, with no indicative timeline for how long the urgent works will take.

When asked why it has taken so long for the community to see any signs of construction on her 2023 election promise, Ms Jackson said her government has already achieved “tangible” process by settling the latest business case.

“You can’t just spend tens of millions of dollars of taxpayer money without a plan, and I think people, the Yass people, can understand that,” Ms Jackson said.

“I stand by my commitment to the community that construction will begin within the first term of a NSW Labor government. I’ve got three years to deliver on that commitment [and am] happy to be held to account for it.”

Council says funding for council chambers and library cannot be redirected to water

If the council is once again unsuccessful, Mr Berry said a loan may have to be taken out to help raise the remainder — with the cost passed onto the community by increasing their water rates.

It is similar to the money borrowed for the new controversial $50 million council chambers and library, which the council is adamant cannot be redirected to fixing the community’s water situation.

When asked if it is incorrect to say the community deserves to have their fundamental human right to safe and reliable drinking water, Mr Berry said “well so is having public libraries”.

“We’re not just involved in providing basic services for households such as water and sewerage, but we’re also responsible for providing cultural experiences for the community,” he said.

“The council chambers is not just about the council chambers. It’s about a library, a new library [as] our current library doesn’t meet the requirements of the State Library guidelines.”

Yass Valley Council will not offer water rebate

Some locals have threatened to boycott paying their water rates, following the council’s decision not to compensate customers for the latest boil water alert.

Mr Berry said the rebate would have equated to $3.64 per household to cover connection fees for the 16 days, which he said would not even “cover the cost of a coffee”.

“Every time you get up in the morning, you put the kettle on for a tea or a coffee, pour the rest of the water from the kettle into a container, pop it in the fridge and you’ve got drinking water for part of the rest of the day,” he said.

“We’ve had previous water alerts and we’ve never given out any rebates.”

But many businesses and individuals argued this figure failed to take into account other outlays such as the electricity needed to boil the water or the purchase of bottled water, which Mr Berry labelled as a “choice”.

At the time the ABC spoke to Mr Berry, he said no hospitality businesses had raised any complaints with the council.

“If you find [boiling water] inconvenient, but you find it convenient to grab the bottled water, that’s a choice that each customer uses. If you’re using bottled water, you’re not using council water and you’re not paying for it,” he said.

Ms Jackson said she the decision was “not fair”, and confirmed the state government-owned water utility, Sydney Water, provides rebates to customers when there were service disruptions.

“Local water utilities should think about what support they can provide to their customers to make sure that they’re supported during what are difficult times,” she said.

Boil Water Alert for residents of Binalong, Bowning and Yass

August 12 2010

https://www.goulburnpost.com.au/story/6875663/boil-water-alert-for-residents-of-binalong-bowning-and-yass/

Council has said that the Boil Water Alert is likely to be in place for at least one week and could be longer depending on how quickly things settle down after the recent heavy rainfall.

“More rain is predicted at the end of the week and this follow up rain may result in an extension of the Boil Water Alert, depending on its intensity,” a statement issued by the council states.

Acting Director of Infrastructure & Assets, Steven Beasley said that there is no link to the discharge of partially treated effluent from the Lower Molonglo Water Control Centre by ICON Water on Sunday.

“The drinking water supplying the towns of Yass, Bowning, and Binalong is drawn from Yass Dam. The majority of ‘source’ or ‘raw’ water supplies in Australia contain natural levels or organic and inorganic material,” he said.

“The aim of water treatment is to reduce the levels of organic and inorganic material and, in particular, any material associated with pathogens such as protozoa, bacteria, and viruses.

“In the case of Yass, heavy rain caused raw water to become extremely turbid (not clear or transparent because of stirred-up sediment) and compromised the effectiveness of the treatment process.

“Council has a strict water quality management system in place at Yass WTP and turbidity trigger levels were reached, ultimately resulting in the issue of a Boil Water Alert in consultation with NSW Health.”

Residents and businesses will be advised when the boil water notice is lifted through the council’s website, Facebook page, and the local media.