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Southern Rising main repair works

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Project update: This project is completed. We would like to thank the community for their support.

Rain forces delay to major sewer main repa irs

Unprecedented rainfall last week has forced council to delay the major repairs to the section of damaged sewer main located on Paradise Street.

The works, originally planned for this Saturday (May 21) have been postponed until June 4 to allow for the excessive flow to alleviate.

Mayor Greg Williamson said the sewer main was currently pumping double the amount of wastewater than usual due to inflow and infiltration.

“With more rainfall forecast for this weekend it would be imprudent to go ahead with the works on Saturday night.

“It is essential that we avoid sewage overflows at all costs and our responsibility to do that comes first,” Mayor Williamson said.

Council had asked all residents in the Mackay urban area, except the Northern Beaches, to reduce their water usage on the night of the works and until 8am Sunday.

“We are now asking residents in the included area to mark June 4 on their calendar as the night they need to watch their water usage.

“This is not a water interruption and council crews have accounted for water usage by businesses on the night, but any reduction in water entering the system by our community will ease the burden during the works,” he said.

“Remember, if it’s yellow let it mellow! Have an early shower and leave those dirty dishes and the laundry until Sunday.”

The work being undertaken is the largest coordinated repair job done by council to date.

More than 55 crew members across five locations will complete the repairs to the damaged sewer main on Paradise Street. The works will be weather permitting.

Council is set to undertake one of the largest repair projects to date and we need your help! 

The works involve a major repair to a key sewerage main in Paradise Street, Paget.

As part of the works, five pump stations are required to be drained which means a huge 900,000 litres of sewage needs to be pumped into a sewage truck and taken directly to the waste water plant to enable crews to repair the pipe.

Here is how you can help

Residents in the Mackay urban area, excluding the Northern Beaches, are being asked to restrict their indoor water usage while the repair is underway.

The community can reduce their water use by supporting our ‘If it’s yellow let it mellow’ campaign by only flushing toilets when absolutely necessary or by taking showers, doing laundry and dishwashing before the outage. This will minimise the risk of sewage overflow into our environment.

When you can help

This work is expected to be carried out over 14 hours from 6pm, Saturday, June 4, to 8am, Sunday, June 5, 2022, weather permitting.

As good weather is a critical factor for this repair to go ahead at this time the timing may be changed. To keep updated, sign up to this project page and follow council’s Facebook page.

We appreciate your patience during these essential works. If you have any queries, please contact the Community Engagement team on 1300 MACKAY (622 529) or via engagement@mackay.qld.gov.au.

Areas affected



Project update: This project is completed. We would like to thank the community for their support.

Rain forces delay to major sewer main repa irs

Unprecedented rainfall last week has forced council to delay the major repairs to the section of damaged sewer main located on Paradise Street.

The works, originally planned for this Saturday (May 21) have been postponed until June 4 to allow for the excessive flow to alleviate.

Mayor Greg Williamson said the sewer main was currently pumping double the amount of wastewater than usual due to inflow and infiltration.

“With more rainfall forecast for this weekend it would be imprudent to go ahead with the works on Saturday night.

“It is essential that we avoid sewage overflows at all costs and our responsibility to do that comes first,” Mayor Williamson said.

Council had asked all residents in the Mackay urban area, except the Northern Beaches, to reduce their water usage on the night of the works and until 8am Sunday.

“We are now asking residents in the included area to mark June 4 on their calendar as the night they need to watch their water usage.

“This is not a water interruption and council crews have accounted for water usage by businesses on the night, but any reduction in water entering the system by our community will ease the burden during the works,” he said.

“Remember, if it’s yellow let it mellow! Have an early shower and leave those dirty dishes and the laundry until Sunday.”

The work being undertaken is the largest coordinated repair job done by council to date.

More than 55 crew members across five locations will complete the repairs to the damaged sewer main on Paradise Street. The works will be weather permitting.

Council is set to undertake one of the largest repair projects to date and we need your help! 

The works involve a major repair to a key sewerage main in Paradise Street, Paget.

As part of the works, five pump stations are required to be drained which means a huge 900,000 litres of sewage needs to be pumped into a sewage truck and taken directly to the waste water plant to enable crews to repair the pipe.

Here is how you can help

Residents in the Mackay urban area, excluding the Northern Beaches, are being asked to restrict their indoor water usage while the repair is underway.

The community can reduce their water use by supporting our ‘If it’s yellow let it mellow’ campaign by only flushing toilets when absolutely necessary or by taking showers, doing laundry and dishwashing before the outage. This will minimise the risk of sewage overflow into our environment.

When you can help

This work is expected to be carried out over 14 hours from 6pm, Saturday, June 4, to 8am, Sunday, June 5, 2022, weather permitting.

As good weather is a critical factor for this repair to go ahead at this time the timing may be changed. To keep updated, sign up to this project page and follow council’s Facebook page.

We appreciate your patience during these essential works. If you have any queries, please contact the Community Engagement team on 1300 MACKAY (622 529) or via engagement@mackay.qld.gov.au.

Areas affected