Water leak response anger

By Dion Teasdale
YARRA Valley Water has urged residents in the Upper Yarra to be more vigilant with the monitoring of water leaks on private property.
The call comes after the water company was forced to repair a leak on private property in East Warburton earlier this month.
The company made repairs to a private truck service along Riverside Drive in East Warburton after residents raised concerns about the amount of water being wasted from an unidentified leak.
Big Pats Creek Road resident Ron Howard said the leak was detected some time in the last week of May and that thousands of litres of water were wasted before it was fixed over a week later.
“The water was bubbling up from an underground pipe, forming a big pool on the side of the road and then tricking into the Yarra River,” he said.
“It makes residents angry to see this amount of water being wasted when we are constantly being told by the Government that ‘every drop counts’.”
Yarra Valley Water general manager of asset services Sam Austin said the leak was reported to the company on Friday, 26 May and that contractors inspected the site that afternoon.
“We were at the location reported and found water coming from the ground but were unable to find the source of the leak,” he said.
“As leaks can travel underground before surfacing, the crew organised for specialised equipment that detects the location of water coming from a pipe to be used to find the leak.”
Mr Austin said it took several days to locate the source of the leak, which was found in a private trunk service owned by a Yarra Valley Water customer.
“As a courtesy we repaired the leak, (and) the repairs were completed on Thursday, 1 June,” he said.
“We have found that customers on private services use pipes that are not as durable as those used by Yarra Valley Water.”
Mr Austin said the leak served as a timely reminder to residents to monitor their own properties, particularly if water use is unusually high.
“The easiest way for residents to check if they have a leak, and therefore need to enlist the help of a plumber, is to check their water meter reading before bed,” he said.
“If no water has been used overnight, and the meter has changed, then there is likely to be a leak. In this case, we advise prompt action to prevent unnecessary water loss.”
Mr Austin said customers who notice a leak or believe that it has not been attended to should contact Yarra Valley Water on 131 721 immediately.