Water supply
UPDATED ADVICE for NATHALIA RESIDENTS - 4pm, Friday 17 February 2023
There’s been significant improvement in the water treatment performance at the Nathalia Water Treatment Plant overnight and we’ve been able to replenish our water storages. There was also significantly reduced water demand last night – thank you for you help, it really made a difference! This means we’re in a much better position, where our storages have increased from 38% at 6am yesterday to about 90% at 7am this morning.
Please resume normal water use, remembering the Permanent Water Saving Rules – you can use sprinklers between 6pm and 10am, or use a watering can or hose with a trigger nozzle fitted at any time.
Poor source water quality has posed treatment challenges for several weeks at Nathalia - today was the first time the plant 'switched off' after reaching full water storage levels, after previously working non-stop for the past nine days to treat the water during warmer weather.
You can see how reducing water use on Thursday night helped the storages to return to capacity at the graph below – compared to much higher water use on Wednesday night.
We’ve stopped supplying water via tankers this morning, and will continue to closely monitor the plant and water demand levels.
ADVICE for NATHALIA RESIDENTS - Thursday 16 February 2023
Please conserve water Thursday and Friday night, 16 and 17 February.
High water demand during the current hot weather is placing additional pressure on the Nathalia Water Treatment Plant and we are experiencing treatment issues as a result of the ongoing poor source water quality from the Broken Creek.
As a result, our plant storage levels have been dropping so we have started tankering fully treated water from Numurkah to maintain a supply of drinking water to residents.
We are asking customers to help out while the storages ‘catch up’. We have noticed very high water use overnight – only use water outdoors for critical needs for the next two nights. Where possible, limit watering lawns and large gardens outdoors, cleaning cars, and other high-volume evening and night water use.
Continue essential water use indoors – i.e. cooking, drinking bathing, cleaning, running evaporative air conditioners. Remember, placing jugs of water in the fridge to drink on warm days can help you stay cool and refreshed. Permanent Water Saving Rules are also in place. This includes not watering lawns between 10am and 6pm. For more information on Permanent Water Saving Rules go to Being Waterwise | Goulburn Valley Water (gvwater.vic.gov.au)
We are checking for water leaks to save as much water as we can while demand is high; we found a large leak in the levee bank near the abattoirs yesterday that has been repaired. Call our 24-hour Customer Service Centre if you notice a leak on 1800 454 500.
We’ll let you know as soon as the plant has returned to normal operations.
A tanker delivering treated water to Nathalia on Thursday afternoon