Nimbin Water Security

Lismore City Council is planning to roll out a bottled water delivery program for our Nimbin Rural Customers. This program is expected to run for up to six months, by which point Lismore City Council plans to have our Nimbin Rural Customers connected to a temporary water treatment solution. Lismore City Council plans to engage Fernleigh Springs to deliver high-quality natural spring water to our Nimbin Rural Customers. Council shall fully fund the delivery of one 19 L bottle per week to each registered rural property.

Note that this program may not be able to proceed if too few households register.

Terms and conditions:

• The customer is responsible for ensuring all empty bottles are placed at the front of their property by 7:00 am on Monday mornings, so that they can be replaced with new bottles.
• Customers with a valid reason for being unable to return their bottles are required to lodge their reason with our Customer Contact Centre on 6625 0500 as soon as possible.
• Lismore City Council reserves the right to terminate this agreement with any customers who fail to return bottles, or who return bottles that are damaged or dirty.

Bottled Water Delivery Program Registration form

Due to the ongoing La Nina weather pattern, Council has not been able to top up D.E. Williams Dam as the water coming from the weir is high in turbidity and would significantly compromise water quality.

To ensure the supply of water to Nimbin is not compromised, Council has placed the village on Level 3 water restrictions effective immediately and will remain in place until further notice. Council will also begin trucking in water.

Please note, the existing Boil Water Notice remains in place as we truck water to Nimbin.

With turbidity issues expected to continue through Spring and Summer due to La Nina, Council is collaborating with NSW Health and DPIE to develop a solution until the water treatment plant is built.

The following Level 3 Water Restrictions apply to residential and non-residential premises:

• Residents and businesses are asked to conserve water wherever possible.

Gardens:

• Watering cans & buckets permitted at any time.
• Hand-held hoses permitted for up to 10 minutes every second day, before 9 am or after 4 pm (odds & evens)
• Other irrigation systems banned
• Watering of new turf permitted for up to 30 min on day laid, then 15 minutes every second day, before 9 am or after 4 pm (odd & evens)
• Usage of water for lawn & garden maintenance totally banned under Level 4 restrictions

Pools and recreation:

• Topping up of pools/spas permitted ONLY if done to prevent structural damage. Must be done before 9 am or after 4 pm with a hand-held hose with an on/off nozzle. Emptying and refilling banned.
• Filling of new pools/spas permitted ONLY if done to prevent structural damage AND if Council has given approval.
• Recreation usage of water (e.g., play pools, water toys, slides, etc.) banned

Animal care:

• Provision of drinking water permitted
• Wash pets with bucket before 9 am or after 4 pm. Use of hose banned.
• Operation/top up of fountains/ponds/water features/etc. permitted only to maintain fish life.
• Installation and filling of new fountains/ponds/etc. banned

Washing:

• Washing of driveways, rooves, walls, windows, etc. permitted ONLY if done for health and safety reasons by a registered cleaning business
• Car washing permitted IF done with an efficient high pressure, low flow rate cleaner with trigger control for less than 5 min either before 9 am or after 4 pm (subject to odds & evens)
• Washing of boats, boat motors and trailers used in salt water permitted for 5 min at a time
• None of the washing outlined in the above dot points is permitted under Level 4 restrictions

To receive Nimbin water direct email updates, please register your details: https://lismore-water-operations-public-domain.app.oneblink.io/forms/9621

Essential works are planned for the water supply in the following area.

Water supply interruption details

This work will depend on suitable weather conditions. If the work is postponed for any reason, we will advise a new date for the planned interruption.

When the works are finished you may experience air trapped in your internal plumbing system (water may appear milky in colour). If this occurs the air can be released by turning on your outside hose tap for several minutes.

Who to contact if problems arise?

During the works all enquiries should be directed to Council’s Customer Contact Centre on 6625 0500 (24-hour service).

We thank you for your cooperation during the necessary works.

An Impax pump testing crew will be onsite in Nimbin from 14 June to conduct an existing pump test. The pump is located in the car park at Nimbin Caravan Park.

Please don't hesitate to reach out shall you have any questions.

Nimbin Water Security Update

Continuing with proposed plans for the Nimbin Water Security project, Lismore City Council are investigating if ground water can form part of the water supply source for the scheme.

An existing bore located adjacent to the Nimbin swimming pool will be tested against Australian guidelines to determine the reliable amount of water that can be produced from the bore.

The potential groundwater supply may supplement the current extractions from Mulgum Creek into the future. How extraction volumes are balanced between the bore and Mulgum Creek will be determined after the results of the bore flow test are known.

Contractors will be onsite to undertake a flow test in May, with testing expected to last only a few days.

For any issues on site, please contact Site Supervisor, Garon Clough - 0466 051 875.