Avoca residents have welcomed news that a new pipeline supplying the town with fully treated water should be up and running by April next year.
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The town has been under a “do not drink” alert for several years after the water’s lead and cadmium levels were found to exceed the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines health limit.
Avoca Roadhouse staff member Lyn Spaulding said the upgrade would come as a great relief for residents.
“We haven't been able to use our water supply for drinking for about two years I reckon,” Ms Spaulding said.
“We've got water supply pipes to our houses we can’t even use so it's going to make it 100 per cent better, it's been a long time coming.”
Under current circumstances, the town’s water is adequate for showering and washing dishes, but should not be used for food preparation or brushing teeth, regardless of whether it has been boiled.
“They have supplied water tanks that they deliver water to; there's two in town that you can go and fill up a container and use for drinking water, but (the water) out of our pipes, we're not supposed to use it.
“It'll be a good thing when it’s done.”
The new 29-kilometre structure will transport water from the Fingal treatment plant and is being constructed in three stages alongside the Esk Highway.
Southern-based construction group Water Industry Solutions has begun laying pipework from both the Avoca and Fingal ends and will soon move on to the final stage, where rocky terrain is expected to make installation more difficult.
TasWater chief executive Michael Brewster said the new Avoca pipeline was part of the organisation’s plan to remove all boil water advisories in Tasmania within the next two years.
“Avoca is just one of several towns where a significant amount of money is being invested, part of TasWater’s annual spend of around $100 million on infrastructure upgrades,” Mr Brewster said.
The pipeline will need to be approved by the Department of Health and Human Services before it can begin supplying water to the town.
The project had originally been scheduled for completion by late 2016.