Bribie suburb back on main water

A permanent water supply to White Patch, on Bribie Island, has been re-connected by Unitywater, eight months after the water main was lost.

Flooding from torrential rain on February 27 caused a 20-metre section of White Patch Esplanade to wash away, taking the main water supply pipe with it.

At the time, Unitywater used specialist contractors Moody Civil and Pipe to build a temporary water supply line. Water was restored to the 73 impacted properties in three days.

While the temporary line has kept the community supplied, Unitywater has been rebuilding a more permanent infrastructure solution since March.

The eight-month project involved detailed planning and geotechnical analysis as well as consultation with local residents, Moreton Bay Regional Council, Kabi Kabi representatives, other utilities and government agencies.

Moody Civil and Pipe were used again on the construction, as well as Bamser, experts in the trenchless horizontal directional drilling method to install the new 250mm diameter pipe.

“The team that pulled this together are part of a proud crew overcoming technical and delivery challenges to rebuild the water infrastructure for this community,” Unitywater Executive Manager Sustainable Infrastructure Solutions Daniel Lambert said.

“It was critical for us as a water supplier, as well as for the people living in this community, to restore White Patch’s water supply to full service with the construction of this permanent water main.

"These were complex works that carried a level of risk, especially as some of the drilling occurred underwater. It’s a testament to the skill and professionalism of our people and our contractor partners that the end result was successful.

“I would like to especially thank the Unitywater team who managed this project through to a great outcome. Not only did we get the job done well and on time, we did it safely.”

Unitywater Executive Manager Customer Delivery Rhett Duncan oversaw the teams that completed reactive emergency repairs earlier this year.

“Unitywater would like to say a special thank you to the White Patch locals for their patience while we completed this major project, particularly during construction,” Mr Duncan said.