Samford residents face two-month wait for water trucks

Two-month waits for water trucks and a sense of “panic” have overtaken a community just 23 kilometres from Brisbane’s CBD, as dry conditions are set to drag on for the foreseeable future.

THE blistering drought has reached Brisbane’s doorstep with communities just 20km from the CBD going to extraordinary lengths to conserve water while enduring two-month waits for deliveries of the precious resource as dams and creeks dry up.

Months of bone-dry conditions and below average rainfall in Samford Valley, northwest of Brisbane, have dried up creeks and sparked concern among locals reliant on tank water, forcing the Moreton Bay Regional Council to open public water points.

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Water carriers in the town are being inundated with hundreds of calls a day and some are fully booked up to two months in advance, while local fire bans have been in place since September 9.

The situation is so desperate, locals are calling water truckers from as far south as Beenleigh, south of Brisbane, to fill up empty tanks.

Michael Hocken from Samford Water Deliveries, filling up their truck before making another delivery. Picture: AAP/Steve Pohlner.

Michael Hocken, a water truck driver of 15 years, said demand for water in the region had hit crisis levels.

“There’s never been this demand for water ever,” he said.

“It’s insane, insane is the word I would use.

“It’s unprecedented, it’s new territory and it’s serious, it’s really serious.”

Mr Hocken said the calls came thick and fast each day and he would often make urgent deliveries to residents who realised their water tanks had run dry when they went to turn on the tap.

“For every 10 calls I get, I can help one,” he said.

Mr Hocken said locals had become so frustrated, they had resorted to ordering water deliveries from companies based in Beenleigh, on the opposite side of Brisbane.

Mother of two Jill Dewar, who has lived on her family’s property in Camp Mountain, in the Samford Valley her entire life, said the past year has been one of the driest she can remember.

“We always get a load (of water) four times a year,” she said.

“Over the past six months we’ve been running out a lot more.

“At the moment, everything is empty.”

Ms Dewar said she was stunned to learn about the long waits for water deliveries.

“I think this is the first time in the past 10 years that there has been this three-to-six-week wait for water carriers,” she said.

Jill Dewar, with her kids Jackson, 3, and Charlotte, 21 months. Residents are having to wait up to six weeks to get a truck load of water in Samford. - Picture: AAP/Steve Pohlner

The young mum said she had gone to extraordinary lengths to preserve precious tank water.

“When the water carriers told us there would be a three-week wait I was doing my washing over at my sister-in-law’s place. She’s on town water,” Ms Dewar said.

“We have our own little water restrictions at home, we only have two-minute showers.

“If I’m having a shower, I try to reuse that water on the garden. I normally just drain it into the bucket.”

Their conservation efforts have become so extreme, the family is contemplating selling their two 200kg pigs.

“We’re always thinking of ways to save water, and the pigs use a lot of it,” Ms Dewar said.

In a move to help ease anxiety among ratepayers, Moreton Bay Regional Council opened up smaller water collection points across drought-stricken communities where residents could fill up one-tonne drums.

A letter sent from Moreton Bay mayor Allan Sutherland to residents in the Samford area urged water conservation, while reminding residents they were on their own.

“Moreton Bay Regional Council is not responsible for water supply,” he wrote.

“To ensure you don’t run dry, we encourage you to book a water delivery with your preferred water carrier as soon as possible.”

Cedar Creek, Samford. During normal times, this creek is typically a running stream, however dry conditions have reduced it to stagnant pools. Picture: AAP/Steve Pohlner.

The letter further warned residents that while forecasts for rainfall were dire and residents’ water tanks running low, the Moreton Bay region had not yet been drought-declared.

Cr Sutherland told The Courier-Mail the situation was dire and that residents needed to have contingency plans if rain did not arrive before Christmas.

“Take this as a warning sign of a hot summer to come and make sure you keep your water tanks at a level that will provide for your family,” he said.