Federation Council Mayor Pat Bourke said that significant rainfall events following bushfires can create extreme water quality issues due to erosion and contaminants coming from ash, fire retardant usage and erosion run-off into the river system.
“This may impact the water quality of the Murray River via the Kiewa and Ovens Rivers which could potentially affect the treatment processes that are undertaken at the Howlong, Corowa and Mulwala water treatment plants,” he said.
“Due to bushfire contaminants the water may be difficult to treat which will slow down the processes that the treatment plants follow to ensure the water meets Australian drinking guidelines.
“Council is requesting residents to be mindful that supply and water pressure during peak periods (10am – 5pm) may be impacted due to the quality of available source water from the river off takes.”
To ensure continued reliability of the water supply, residents located in Corowa, Howlong and Mulwala are asked to review their daily water usage and implement water saving measures.
“We request residents to be water-wise and avoid watering gardens during the hottest part of the day between 10am – 4pm when evaporation is high. When watering gardens, use a watering can or a trigger nozzle on a hose so that you only water those areas that need it,” Mayor Bourke said.
“Our northern located communities are requested to follow Riverina’s Water request for no garden watering with sprinklers between the hours of 10am - 5pm.”
Due to the current drought, Federation Council is considering the introduction of water restrictions, however, will monitor the situation and provide updated information to the community over the coming weeks.
Further information is available from Council’s website www.federationcouncil.nsw.gov.au or the Water Wise NSW website.