Southside residents at Watson Rd, Lindsay St angry over water woes

A cluster of Gympie homes are having to make do with no water - or a periodic trickle - as the local council appears in no rush to fix a problem frustrated residents believe could cost lives.

Living a stone’s throw from a water tower might sound like the perfect way to ensure the taps never run dry, but a cluster of Gympie residents are finding that is not the case.

As Queensland enters a hot and dry summer, with the threat of bushfire ever present, there are 15 homes near the corner of Watson Rd and Lindsay St on the Southside - some on the edge of bushland - that have had either no town water, or very little for weeks - in some cases months, and even years.

It is a frustrating problem they said was getting worse as time wore on. And the response from Gympie Regional Council has been frustrating.

Mick de Jong has been having the problem for months - since April. A recent test of his taps showed the pressure was about half what the minimum was meant to be.

It had left him “very disgruntled”.

“From 9am to 3pm, we seem to get a bit of water,” Mr de Jong said.

Southside resident Mick de Jong with his very dry garden. He is among a group of residents calling for Gympie Regional Council to fix ongoing water problems in the Southside neighbourhood. The taps routinely drop to a trickle or dry up entirely, and the problem had been ongoing for months.

The problem was when it “totally cut out”, including most recently on Sunday afternoon and Monday morning.

It was especially frustrating given the water tower nearby did not in fact have any water in it.

“I’ve even though of, at my cost, put in a tank … and then put in a pump,” Mr de Jong said.

“But why should I? I’m paying premium price for their water.”

The cost would run into four figures, he said.

It went beyond being a mere issue of convenience and hygiene, too.

Mic de Jong said even at full the taps could barely produce a trickle.

“We get a fire … fire engine only carries x amount of water, and then what?

“Lives are at risk.”

Vince Andrews, who lived several housed down Watson Rd, said he was hosing his garden and the water “just died”.

He walked inside to switch on a tap and found that too had dried up.

A council spokesman said demand from new subdivisions built nearby was causing the problem.

He said the council was seeking a short-term solution, as the pump required to correct the issue was not expected to be installed until early 2024.

Jan Garrett said these latest problems were simply a continuation of pressure problems issues raised back in late 2021.

“They just let all these other (developments) in and there’s just not enough water,” she said.

“The infrastructure is not there. We can’t live without water.”