The $140 million water pipeline linking the Murrumbidgee river to Googong dam has been activated by Icon Water following recent rainfall and improved flows into the Murrumbidgee.
General Manager of Icon Water, Gerard Brierley said the M2G pipeline was pumping 100 million litres of water a day into Burra Creek.
“It’s terrific that the rainfall we’ve seen in recent weeks has boosted flows in the Murrumbidgee to the point we can begin pumping,” Mr Brierley said.
He said the pipeline was one of several measures in place to protect Canberra’s water security following the drought.
“While Canberra’s dams did not receive a huge boost with overall storage increasing by around two per cent, being able to operate M2G means we have a second chance to lift our storages,” Mr Brierley said.
He said Icon Water had strict guidelines in place for operating the pipeline, which included measurements of river volumes and water quality.
“We have seen ash and increased turbidity in the river following bushfires in the last few months,” Mr Brierley said.
“Icon Water has been undertaking extensive testing to ensure water quality meets both environmental and source water criteria, due to the impacts of the recent bushfires in NSW and the ACT,” he said.
“There is some discolouration to the water, which may show up in Burra Creek, however the water from Canberra and Queanbeyan’s taps will be the same high quality the community have come to expect.”
He said the water supplier would continue to test the water from Murrumbidgee to ensure its quality standards were being met.
