‘Dirty’ water reports continue, this time at Bethania Lutheran school

The trickle of complaints about tap water at a southside suburb continued this morning when a primary school was forced to hand out bottled water.

A southside primary school was forced to supply its students with bottled water after overnight pipe works nearby left the school water supply “dirty”.

Students at Bethania Lutheran were told not to drink the school’s tap water this morning after a water main burst in a park near the Glastonbury Dve school yesterday afternoon.

Students at Bethania Lutheran School were given bottled water after a burst water main in the area.

“We wish to advise you that the water to the school was turned off overnight,” the school’s Facebook page said this morning.

“Until the lines have been cleaned out, we ask students NOT to drink the water at drop off this morning. We will have bottled water available.”

Logan City Council’s water officers were told the pipe had burst yesterday afternoon and waited until after school hours to carry out repair works.

Council’s water chairman Cr Phil Pidgeon said 30 properties in the area were also affected by the burst pipe and dirty water.

He said the works were completed early this morning but the water supply was never turned off.

“After the pipe was repaired, it shook up a bit of sediment in the pipe and that had to be flushed out this morning,” he said.

“Council gave the school bottled water so the kids did not have to drink the dirty water.

“It’s not a major issue and was caused because of the dry conditions and the ground shifting, which cracked the pipe.

“There are similar problems in other parts of the city and it is similar top the problems Bethania residents experienced on the weekend when other pipes in the area cracked.”

Bethania residents said the matter was more serious and said many of the elderly residents were afraid to drink the tap water for fear of getting sick.

A number of water pipes have burst in Bethania in the past month. Council water chairman Cr Phil Pidgeon said it was due to dry weather conditions.

Officers flushed out water pipes at a house in Edinburgh St, Bethania on February 11 after a complaint of dirty water coming out of taps.

Five days later, officers were called to Eastbourne Rd, less than 900m away, after a water main burst at 8pm.

Residents on nearby streets reported low water pressure as a result but council said it only received one complaint of clouded water.

A loudhailer on a vehicle was used to notify residents the water service would be disrupted during repairs at affected properties on Eastbourne Rd. The pipe was repaired and council said there was no water contamination.

Council said it had a a rigorous water quality testing regime and the city’s water met requirements of the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.

It said there had been no reports to council of drinking water-related illness in Bethania over the past month.

Council said it had received four complaints related to cloudy water in Bethania.

“These were linked to work on nearby water mains and the issues were quickly resolved after mains flushing,” council said.

“Council continues to monitor the performance and integrity of our water supply network and will respond quickly and effectively to any burst mains or supply interruptions.”

Bethania Resident’s Action Group asked the acting divisional councillor Cr Cherie Dalley to conduct an investigation into the water quality.

The matter will be discussed at a community rally in Bethania tomorrow.