Smoke tests for water pipes

Three Moreton Bay suburbs will be part of Unitywater’s annual smoke testing program, which finishes in December.

Clontarf, Everton Hills and Ferny Hills will be part of the program to identify defects in maintenance holes, faults in private plumbing and fix entry points for stormwater.

Unitywater Acting Executive Manager Sustainable Infrastructure Solutions, Ivan Beirne, said the wastewater network is designed to take minor additional flows from wet weather.

But too much can lead to overflows, posing a risk to public health and the environment.

“This program was designed to minimise the volume of stormwater that enters the wastewater network during heavy rain to help reduce the risk of overflows on private property and in the environment,” Mr Bierne said.

The program, which began in July 2021, has seen 38,000 properties investigated, with eight percent found to have plumbing defects.

These include incorrectly installed or poorly maintained Overflow Relief Gullies (ORG) and illegally connected downpipes.

Mr Bierne said: “With 81 per cent of the private plumbing defects now rectified, we’ve seen an annual reduction of 18 per cent – the equivalent of 548 Megalitres reduced.

“We have already inspected 12,700 of our maintenance holes which can have tree roots intrude them or come loose, allowing excess water to flow into them.”

The tests involve blowing a non-toxic, non-flammable, artificial smoke through the pipes which emerges at select vents, or through breaks or cracks which alerts crews to a problem.

Residents will get a notification card in their mailbox two weeks prior. If a defect is identified, Unitywater will ask customers take reasonable steps to address the issues.

Unitywater has contracted Regional Australian Infiltration Network (R.A.I.N) for these tests.

For more visit www.unitywater.com/sewer-network-testing