Unitywater is encouraging people to prepare for summer storms to stay safe and avoid potential overflows on their properties.
Unitywater Executive Manager Customer Delivery, Rhett Duncan, said residents can do a few simple checks around their homes to prepare for storm season, which generally runs from November to April.
“We’re asking residents to check their overflow relief gullies (ORG) and downpipes as these are two important but often overlooked pieces of infrastructure on your property that help reduce overflows in large wet weather events,” he said.
“Your ORG is a round fixture usually found in your yard or along the side of your house resembling a drain with a grate on top. It ensures any wastewater overflows are directed outside the property rather than overflowing internally.
“We understand they’re not very aesthetic to look at but if you have a pot plant on top or have covered up your ORG, we recommend keeping it clear to allow it to do its job by letting wastewater out of the system if it becomes too full.”
Mr Duncan said downpipes should be connected to the stormwater network, but some homes were incorrectly plumbed to the wastewater network.
“Wastewater and stormwater are two separate systems that shouldn’t mix.
“In large rain events, our wastewater network could become inundated with stormwater which increases the risk of overflows,” he said.
Mr Duncan said Unitywater teams had been carrying out summer preparedness planning to ensure continuous water and wastewater services.
“As well as keeping our networks flowing smoothly each day, our teams have been busy testing and fault finding on our assets, checking water reservoir operational levels and keeping them high, and checking supplies and critical equipment, as well as refuelling generators,” he said.
Unitywater’s checklist to be prepared:
- Update your contact details at www.unitywater.com/myaccount so Unitywater can notify you in an
emergency. - Check your overflow relief gully (or ORG) is not covered or blocked. More:
www.unitywater.com/check-your-org - If you spot a water leak or wastewater overflow, contact Unitywater at www.unitywater.com/contact
- Set aside 10 litres of water per person for three days’ worth of washing, bathing and drinking, in case
you lose water during a storm. ‘Get Ready Queensland’ has a list of emergency kit items on their
website, at https://www.getready.qld.gov.au/emergencykit - If you lose water during a weather event, check Unitywater’s Outage Map to see if your street is listed,
and find out when water is expected to be back on at www.unitywater.com/outages
