Shepparton residents are being asked to help conserve water on Sunday, April 3, as Goulburn Valley Water practises its incident response to plan for future potential emergencies.
The trial will test running the water treatment plant from an alternate raw water pump system, in response to any emergency such as fire, flood, debris damage, different river levels or major failure affecting the existing pump in the Goulburn River.
It will allow GVW teams to prepare and plan different responses to implement an alternative water supply.
The trial will run from 8am to about 4pm, with people asked to conserve water during this time to help take pressure off the water treatment plant operations while the trial is running.
People can still use water for essential needs, such as drinking, cooking and washing, but are asked to limit outdoor and non-essential water use on Sunday while the main pump is offline.
The walking track at the rear of the water treatment plant will be closed between Princess Park Clinic and the tennis courts due to heavy equipment operating in the area.
Residents are asked to detour along Welsford St and Tom Collins Dve.
The exercise has been planned to run at a time where water use is the lowest in cooler weather, and will have the least impact possible on Shepparton’s industrial customers.
The Shepparton Water Treatment Plant supplies Shepparton, Kialla, Mooroopna, Congupna, Toolamba and Tallygaroopna, as well as a large industrial and commercial customer base.
GVW managing director Steve Capewell said this trial was critical to help plan for responses to future impacts of climate change, such as an increased risk of floods and fires.
“This is a really important part of our continuity and emergency planning, to ensure we’re prepared and can continue to deliver essential water services in an emergency situation,” he said.
“Two years ago we asked residents to reduce their water use similarly, while the Shepparton Water Treatment Plant was offline overnight to carry out critical repair works.
“We saw a fantastic response, with water usage dropping by about two million litres compared to average daily use, and we’re asking the community to again help us by decreasing their water use.”
Customers will be kept informed via text message alerts and social media as the trial response progresses.