More than 50,000 Hibiscus Coast residents will soon benefit from a new $12.8m booster pump station on East Coast Road that will ensure they continue to enjoy a reliable water supply as the area grows.

We will start commissioning the pump station late on Saturday 3 September.

Project manager Jason Salmon says the purpose of the new booster pump station is to push water from the treatment plants to the area at a faster rate.

This means we can keep the area’s water storage reservoirs topped up throughout the day more easily – including in summer when residents use more water than normal and visitors flock to the area to enjoy the beaches. We plan to demolish the old booster pump station in three to six months.”

Operations manager for the northern networks, Tim Scheirlinck, says the commissioning process involves flushing water through the pipes in the early hours of Sunday 4 September.

“We are commissioning a new booster pump station. This means water will flow through the pipes to the Hibiscus Coast at a faster rate than ever before. This may stir up sediment in the pipes and discolour the water temporarily.

“In response, we will be flushing water through the pipes in the early hours of Sunday 4 September to remove the discoloured water. While we hope to have removed the discoloured water by sunrise, there may still be some in the network when people get up for the day.”

Scheirlinck says we will flush the water through ‘bulk supply points’ in the Hibiscus Coast area. “We recommend residents store some water in bottles or a kettle the night before. While discoloured water is unlikely to make them sick, it’s a good idea to have some clear water available for drinking purposes.

“We also recommend people avoid doing laundry during the morning of Sunday 4 September; or at a minimum, check the colour of the water first.

If people experience discoloured water on the morning of Sunday 4 September, we encourage them to run their taps for 10 minutes. If it does not clear, residents are encouraged to email their address to [email protected]. We will send a crew to your area to carry out further work.