Couran Cove body corporate treasurer says water risk management plan ‘not required’

Couran Cove is without a water risk management plan more than 15 months since Gold Coast Health found a “relatively high” level of arsenic in the drinking water.

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COURAN Cove’s body corporate can’t say whether a water risk management plan has been developed more than 15 months after Gold Coast Health found marginal arsenic levels in the drinking water.

Initial tests by Gold Coast Health and the Gold Coast City Council in late 2019 found a “high level of iron and arsenic is right on the line” at the Couran Cove water treatment plant and recommended the resort implement a water risk management plan.

Subsequent investigations found the water safe to drink. However, the resort will not confirm if a water risk management plan has been developed.

About 100 people live permanently on the island, which has been plagued by infighting between the complex web of bodies corporate.

Risky levels of arsenic were found in Couran Cove’s water supply in 2019.

Gold Coast Public Health Unit senior environmental health officer Leanne Wells reported to plant operator Simmonds and Bristow through the council that water samples taken at Couran Cove on October 29, 2019 found arsenic levels just below the health guideline value.

She also wrote that there was no monitoring of the disinfection process and that Simmons and Bristow had no water risk management plan “as their contract is to only operate and maintain the water treatment plant/supply”.

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“The results of the water sampling conducted on 29/10/19 indicate that there is a potential risk to the safety of the drinking water at Couran Cove,” she wrote.

“The management at Couran Cove should develop and implement a risk management plan to identify and manage those risks to the drinking water supply.

Couran Cove Resort, South Stradbroke Island, is home to about 350 residents.

“As arsenic has now been identified as a risk … increased monitoring should be undertaken to assess the risk to drinking water and implement control measures to manage the identified risks.”

Simmonds and Bristow was brought on to manage and operate the plant after Ms Wells’ initial investigation found a host of issues in July 2019.

They included corroded ladders in the water storage tanks; whirly birds on top of the tanks missing tops, allowing for contamination by wildlife; and issues with the power supply to the hypochlorite pump, which could result in high levels of chlorine in the water.

Simmonds on Tuesday said it rectified the issues and provided a detailed report showing extensive testing of the water had proved it safe to drink.

Principal water engineer David Bristow stated the water supply provided to Couran Cove resort is “fit for human consumption and does not present a risk to human health based on the monitoring results to date”.

It said that “effective monitoring” for arsenic in the water began in January 2020 after the October 29 result found arsenic was “right on the line”.

Mr Bristow wrote that since the October 29 test “no results for arsenic (that Simmonds & Bristow are aware of) had exceeded the ADWG (Australian Drinking Water Guidelines) health guideline limit of 0.01 mg/L.”

Gold Coast Health told the Bulletin the confirmed water sample results all met ADWG health guideline values.

However, the spokesperson said it “recommended the implementation of a water risk management plan following these inspections”.

The Bulletinrepeatedly asked Couran Cove Community Body Corporate treasurer Lachlan McIntosh whether a water risk management plan had been adopted. He said it had not been asked for one nor was it required by legislation.

Mr McIntosh said: “Simmonds and Bristow act in accordance with legislation and provide water to Couran Cove in accordance with the legislation.”

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Originally published as Couran Cove body corporate treasurer says water risk management plan ‘not required’