Balgowlah heights: ‘Waste of water’ as leak remains unfixed one week after reported
Sydney Water were made aware of a water leak one week ago but repairs are yet to be made as residents become increasingly concerned about the “waste of water”.
Manly
Don't miss out on the headlines from Manly. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- Frenchs Forest family trying to recover following tragic house fire.
- Two popular beaches proposed at potential off leash dog spaces.
Concerned northern beaches residents have reported a water leak which suddenly appeared outside their homes, but a week has passed and Sydney Water are yet to make the repairs.
A constant stream of drinking water has been gushing from the middle of a steep road on Woodland St near Lower Beach St in Balgowlah Heights since Monday, July 27.
Resident Karen Kingham said she contacted Sydney Water who assessed the site but she was advised there were red flags with the leak located near a gas main and optical fibre.
“When I reported in last Monday, Sydney Water came out to assess it on the same day, there were Diggers and trucks but there were complexities,” Ms Kingham said.
“It started off with a stream coming up from the middle of the road but today it looks like it’s travelled and found an outlet on the side of the street.
“It’s just a pity because it’s litres of water being wasted every day. With all the rain lately I was worried it could cause a problem like a sinkhole.”
She said she understood Sydney Water were looking into it.
“Sydney Water were very proactive, coming here the same day we reported it. I just hope it’s fixed soon, it could be hard because this is a narrow street and it gets busy”.
It’s unknown exactly how much water has flown into storm water drains as a result of the leak.
Sydney Water told the Manly Daily they were aware of the situation and confirmed there were “complexities” which made works difficult.
A Sydney Water spokeswoman said they were preparing for works to be carried out carefully.
“On the morning of 29 July 2020, a customer reported water bubbling out of a crack in the asphalt on Woodland Street, Balgowlah Heights. A Sydney Water Technician arrived on site within the hour,” the spokeswoman said.
“The safety of our people and customers is Sydney Water’s number one priority. This is a highly-complex repair due to the presence of high pressure gas and fibre optics in the vicinity of the repair site.
“We have made multiple site visits since the leak was reported to ensure we minimise any risk during excavations. A repair crew has been arranged to undertake repairs this afternoon with a vacuum truck to minimise the risk during excavation.”
She said they would need to work with other agencies.
“We have requested authorities from the gas and telecommunication companies involved to be in attendance during the repairs
“We may need to isolate the water main in Woodland Street while repairing the main and we apologise to our customers for any inconvenience caused.
“It is too early to determine what caused the leak, our priority is on repairing the leak and returning customer services as safely and quickly as possible.”
The spokeswoman said Sydney Water anticipates for the works to be completed tonight, unless further unforeseen circumstances arise.