No chances taken with safety – boil water alert for Meeniyan water supply

ON Friday June 15, South Gippsland Water issued a Boil Water Alert for the township of Meeniyan. The Corporation received results from a water sample taken from the Meeniyan Water Supply System that returned a low level reading for Cryptosporidium (which is a type of protozoa, a microorganism parasite). The Meeniyan township was immediately issued with an alert, and systems activated to ensure the community was informed.

Further testing has been carried out over the weekend and South Gippsland Water is waiting to receive notification of the all clear from the Department of Health before the Boil Water Alert will be lifted.

South Gippsland Water takes every precaution to ensure that water supplied complies with all health regulations. Each week over 200 tests are completed by an independent company on water taken from ninety points across the Corporations water supply systems. The water is tested for micro-biological activity, physico-chemical elements and any by-product which may remain as a result of the treatment process.

The testing that detected the Cryptosporidium was a proactive test conducted over and above South Gippsland Water’s testing requirements. The Corporation voluntarily elects to test for this microorganism and does this testing at times when the risks and likelihood of detecting it are at their highest. Due to the recent flood conditions along the Tarwin River which is the source for the Meeniyan water supply, South Gippsland Water elected to conduct extra testing for organisims such as Cryptosporidium during last week.

Philippe du Plessis, Managing Director South Gippsland Water said, “The Corporation apologises to the Meeniyan community for any inconvenience that the boil water alert may have caused, however, South Gippsland Water takes no risks when it comes to the protection of public health”. Mr du Plessis went onto say that he “felt reassured that the water quality framework worked, and that the Corporations systems and procedures were put into practice with an alert being raised quickly and efficiently.

Once a form of contamination was detected South Gippsland Water notified all businesses and homes in the area. The Corporation would like to take this opportunity to thank the local community for their help and assistance in dealing with this water quality event”.

As at lunchtime Monday, 18th June 2012, South Gippsland Water is working with the Department of Health to review further tests conducted over the weekend and to identify if the current alert should be lifted. South Gippsland Water will continue to monitor the water quality and residents of Meeniyan can be confident that the Corporation will act quickly and efficiently with public health and safety a priority.

All results from the annual and monthly water quality testing can be found on www.sgwater.com.au or by contacting the Customer Service team on 1300 851 636. Meeniyan residents with questions or concerns regarding the boil water alert are encouraged to contact South Gippsland Water on 1300 851 636.

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