Big boost for Barham’s water

Published on 18 March 2024

Water flow and pressure in Barham has been improved thanks to the completion of Murray River Council’s filtered water pressure improvement project.

This follows the installation of a new booster pump at the filtration plant earlier this year after 18 months of detailed modelling on usage and flows, and design and construction work on the pump itself. 

The end result has seen water service pressure increase by up to 167% to households and businesses in Barham.

Murray River Council mayor, Frank Crawley said the water pressure has been an ongoing issue for residents and Council is pleased to see the project deliver improvements straight away.    

“During our Community Strategic Planning sessions two years ago, the community raised concerns about the low filtered water pressure across the township. There were noticeable fluctuations in pressure, with some areas of town being worse than others.”

“Now that our water team has finalised the installation of the new pump, we’re hearing some positive feedback from the community about better pressure for daily activities such as showering and washing clothes. We’re pleased that it has delivered immediate and noticeable results,” Cr Crawley said.

The town’s filtered water mains were also flushed last week to remove any build-up of natural sediment in the pipes. This sediment is harmless, but it can cause discoloured water or issues with water pressure.

By removing it through the flushing process, the network benefits from improved water clarity and flow.  

“Now that we have improved the flow and clarity, we want to ensure we stay on top of it, so we will be implementing more regular flushing programs in Barham,” Manager of Water Services, Phil Smith said.

“Whilst it’s a minor inconvenience to residents who may experience reduced pressure during the flushing, it ensures the quality of the pipes is maintained over the longer term.”

“We will continue to update the community of any planned flushing in the future and appreciate their patience whilst we’ve been delivering this improvement project over the past 18 months,” Mr Smith said.