Small town of Mungindi has been hit with severe Level 5 water restrictions
A failure of critical infrastructure has plunged an Australian town into a water emergency.
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A small town in regional Australia is facing an unfolding water emergency after a failure of critical infrastructure put it at risk of running out.
Mungindi, which sits on the New South Wales-Queensland border, about 120 kilometres northwest of Moree, is subject to snap restrictions, effectively immediately.
Moree Plains Shire Council notified residents that its water treatment plant in the town has experienced a pump failure.
As a result, to preserve supply, significant Level 5 water restrictions have been temporarily imposed, with households and businesses urged to avoid all non-essential usage.
Level 5 restrictions see watering gardens, washing cars, hosing paved surfaces and filling swimming pools banned.
People have also been urged to keep showers to a minimum and for less than five minutes.
Agricultural irrigation by alternative water sources has not been effected.
If council workers can fix the issue today or early tomorrow, the restrictions will be lifted at 5pm on Tuesday.
“A pump failure caused dirty water to enter the clear water tank and therefore no water can be supplied to the reservoirs until this tank has been emptied, cleaned and refilled,” Moree Plains Shire Council acting CEO Daryl Fitzgerald said.
“The water in the Mungindi reservoirs needs to be preserved for essential indoor use and emergency firefighting purposes.”
The unfolding situation comes after emergency works on the town’s water distribution main caused low water pressure.
Those works, combined with high water demand and a recent heatwave, prompted council to request locals limit external water usage.
“Our team are working to restore water pressure in our reservoir towers to a reasonable level and are actively monitoring the situation,” council said last week.
Mungindi is an agricultural hub, home to about 600 people.
Originally published as Small town of Mungindi has been hit with severe Level 5 water restrictions
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