Thursday, January 30, 2025

Issue:

Mackay and Whitsunday Life

DAM BOWEN, IS YOUR WATER OK?

On the night of the 22nd of January, a power outage occurred causing a disruption to the water levels in the Bowen Reservoir. The Whitsunday Regional Council has put out a social media post alerting residents of the issue, along with providing reassurance of the safety of the water coming out of their taps.
Power outages can cause the water supply systems to stop operating and breakdown. The water pumps can shut down and water distribution systems can go offline if they do not a receive constant electrical supply. Also, a dam or reservoir can lose pressure because of an outage because of lowered water levels, hence why one of the procedures being conducted was refilling the reservoir.
The disruption has caused changes to the water supply such as discolouration and fluctuations in water pressure. This was to affect the residents in Bowen and the surrounding areas over the coming hours as the Bowen Reservoir underwent critical maintenance and refilling procedures.
The Council wished everyone to know that the water, though slightly discoloured, was still safe for consumption and general use. They apologised for any inconvenience the power outage and reservoir disruption had caused, while they undertook the critical works to bring the reservoir back to full function.

Two beautiful, giant water tanks that supply water to Bowen below. Photo Credit: Isaac Newman

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