WATER WORKS ARE ON AGAIN
IRRIGATION and sprinkler repair businesses in Townsville have already noticed a spike in inquires after stringent Level 3 water restrictions were lifted.
Under Level 3 water restrictions, sprinkler use was banned.
Now the Ross River Dam is at above 80 per cent capacity, the Townsville City Council relaxed water restrictions to Level 2, which allows sprinklers to be used for two hours each week, two days a week, on the odd and evens house number system.
Advanced Irrigation managing director Terry Young said within hours of the council’s announcement that residents could use their sprinklers, the inquires for repairs flooded in.
“People started to test their irrigation system only to discover that it wasn’t working properly,” he said. “Because it hasn’t been used, irrigation controllers have shorted out, full of ant nests and gecko droppings.”
Atomic Irrigation Systems owner Dan Smith said when sprinkler components dried out, it played havoc with the whole irrigation system.
“Sprinklers need regular lubrication or everything dries out, it fails,” he said. “If you don’t look at something for nearly two years, of course it is not going to work. If you leave a car in a garage without starting it up regularly, it’ll fail as well, it’ll need some work to get it going again.
“What the community needed to do during the Level 3 water restriction is turn their sprinkler systems on for 30 seconds every now and then. That would have ensured everything was lubricated and maintained.”
Mr Young said when sprinklers were banned under Level 3 water restrictions, his Currajong business put their attention on bore irrigation systems.
“We have done a lot of work installing systems at properties that chose to have a bore system installed,” he said. “That kept us pumping along nicely during the Level 3 sprinkler ban period.”
The council introduced Level 3 water restrictions in August last year when the Ross River Dam level hit 20 per cent capacity, and was lifted to Level 2 on March 17 with the dam at 87 per cent.