18 October, 2021
GAB bore delayed
It is now expected that Clifton residents will have to wait until the end of February next year before water from the Great Artesian Basin (GAB) will flow through their taps as a full electrical upgrade is needed at the bore site.
Toowoomba Regional Council (TRC) Water and Waste Committee Chair Cr Rebecca Vonhoff said the Clifton GAB bore and the reverse osmosis (RO) treatment plant were scheduled to be operational by October this year.
“Design and construction of Clifton’s new RO water treatment plant is well underway with the purchase of equipment, building water storage tanks and connection pipes,” Cr Vonhoff said.
“Disappointingly, time-frames have had to be revised.
“As part of the project, a full electrical upgrade is needed at the site to be able to install the plant and other new infrastructure.”
Cr Vonhoff said council is currently waiting on the delivery of an essential electrical component to be able to complete this vital switchboard upgrade, a delay it was only informed of two weeks ago.
“The bore and treatment plant are now expected to be up and running by the end of February 2022,” she said.
“The new infrastructure is currently scheduled to be delivered to site early December but full commissioning and connection to the reticulation network cannot occur until the electrical upgrade is complete.
“The electrical upgrade and switchboard design are likely to be completed in the coming weeks and installed onsite by late December.”
Cr Vonhoff said the GAB bore will supply water to Clifton as soon as it’s put into service.
“This has been a lengthy process but once operational, the GAB bore and treatment plant will be a valuable, long-term investment in delivering a quality water supply to Clifton residents.
“The GAB bore supply will be augmented with water from the town’s existing shallow aquifer bores.
“Council will monitor the GAB bore closely in the initial months after to ensure its effective operation,” she said.
From November 2019 to June 2021, TRC spent $1.8 million carting water to Clifton.
Initial test drilling of the site was completed in April this year, after which water was found and samples taken for quality testing.
In early August, results from the testing showed that with minimal treatment the GAB water will be potable.
Once fully operational, the bore is expected to supply 80 per cent of Clifton township’s water supply.
Existing shallow bores will make up the remaining 20 per cent.
Cr Vonhoff said she wanted to ensure residents the project team is working hard to connect the GAB bore water supply as quickly as possible.
“We understand this is a critical project for the Clifton community and the town’s water security,” she said.
“I’d like to thank the Clifton community for their patience and reassure them we will continue to communicate with them as the project nears completion.”
