Torres Strait Island Regional Council – Mer Island Water Supply

Abstract

This paper aims to demonstrate how a demand-focused strategy can lead to significant cost reduction and provide a more stable and sustainable drinking water supply, especially in small scale and remote potable water schemes. The paper tells the story of the water supply network at Murray (Mer) Island in the Torres Strait. The unique challenges posed by this remote and beautiful corner of Australia have led to a legacy of substandard water supply network conditions and severe water restrictions for the local community. By implementing an intensive demand management strategy incorporating smart technologies, water demand on Mer Island has been brought back to a sustainable position. From September 2020 to April 2021 a series of improvements to Mer Island’s supply/distribution network have been made. These include: - installation of domestic smart water meters; - installation of in-situ acoustic hydro sensors for leak detection; - installation of controllable pressure reduction valves in the water supply network; - utilisation of handheld acoustic leak detection equipment, and - utilisation of the Council’s ‘on ground’ Engineering Officers and Technical Officers to actively search for mains and domestic water leaks. As a result, the community on Mer Island have - for the first time in over 20 years* - been lifted off severe water restrictions whereby water supply was only available for 6 hours per day. The reliance on costly desalinated water has been considerably reduced and thanks to use of smart technology, demand issues can be detected early and rectified before they develop into more serious problems that threaten the community’s water supply. Although the conditions and challenges faced on Mer Island are somewhat unique, many are common to other remote Australian communities; many of the techniques used as part of this intensive improvement program can be applied to other remote, small-scaled water supply schemes across regional Queensland and the rest of Australia to save costs and improve the sustainability of water supply