About our H2O
Where does our H2O come from?
Council sources water from the Dumbleton and Marian Weirs and underground bores.
Please find below a list of council’s drinking water schemes, their water sources and treatment facilities.
| Scheme | Currently Utilised Water Source | Operational Primary Water Treatment Facility | Towns supplied |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bloomsbury | Bloomsbury Bore (O'Connell River) | Bloomsbury Water Treatment Plant | Bloomsbury |
| Calen | Calen Bores | Calen Water Treatment Plant | Calen Kolijo |
| Eton | Eton Bores | Eton Water Treatment Plant | Eton |
| Finch Hatton | Finch Hatton Bore | Finch Hatton Treatment Facility | Finch Hatton |
| Gargett | Gargett Bores (Cattle Creek) | Gargett Treatment Facility | Gargett Pinnacle |
| Koumala | Koumala Bores | Koumala Treatment Facility | Koumala |
Mackay and Sarina | Dumbleton Weir (Pioneer River) | Nebo Road Water Treatment Plan | Mackay Walkerston Sarina Alligator Creek Freshwater Point Sarina Beach Armstrong Beach Grasstree Beach Hay Point |
| Mackay Bores | |||
| Bally Keel Bore | Bally Keel Bore Treatment Facility | ||
| Sarina Bores | Sarina Bores Treatment Facility | ||
| Marian | Marian Weir (Pioneer River) | Marian Water Treatment Plant | Marian Mirani |
| Marian Bores | Marian Bores Treatment Facility | Marian Mirani | |
| Mirani Bore | Mirani Bore Treatment Facility | ||
| Midge Point | Crystal Brook Bores (Pioneer River) | Midge Point Treatment Facility | Midge Point Laguna Quays |
The quality of our H2O
Our water is of the highest quality and rigorously tested by our Water Laboratory Services.
Many tests are performed on both our raw and potable water supplies to ensure the water meets the National Health and Medical Research Council’s Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.
Water from our Nebo Road Water Treatment Plant was voted Queensland’s best tasting tap water in 2018 and water from our Marian Water Treatment Plant was named Queensland and Australia’s best tasting tap water in 2019 and second best in the world in 2020. Since then, our list of awards has continued to grow. So, we really have a drop worth drinking.
| Year | Award | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | WIOA Water of Origin taste test (QLD -v- NSW) - Winner | Mackay (Nebo Rd) WTP |
| 2022 | WIOA Water of Origin taste test (QLD -v- NSW) - Winner | Marian WTP |
| 2022 | Best Tasting Tap Water in Australia - State Champion | Mackay (Nebo Rd) WTP |
| 2021 | Best Tasting Tap Water in Australia - State Champion | Marian WTP |
| 2020 | International Water Tasting Competition - Second | Marian WTP |
| 2019 | Best Tasting Tap Water in Australia - Champion | Marian WTP |
| 2019 | Best Tasting Tap Water in Australia - State Champion | Marian WTP |
| 2018 | Best Tasting Tap Water in Australia - State Champion | Mackay (Nebo Rd) WTP |
For more information download the Water Quality and Treatment Fact Sheet.
Do we have fluoride in our H2O?
No, we do not have fluoride in our drinking water.
In 2012, the State Government made it optional for councils to fluoridate the public water supply.
After extensive consultation with the community, fluoride was officially turned off in the Mackay region on November 7, 2016.
How does demand affect our H2O infrastructure?
When we get a hot day and we all turn on our sprinklers at the same time, the increased demand for water places serious pressure on our infrastructure.
Our water network is built to cope with spikes in demand, like when we all wake up and shower, or when we get home from work and throw on a load of washing, but it’s not built to cope with the demand caused by excessive outdoor water use in summer.
The problem with excessive demand is that our treatment plants can reach pumping capacity. To fix the problem, a new larger water treatment plant and distribution network would be required, which costs a lot of money and those costs would have to be passed onto ratepayers through higher water rates and charges, which nobody wants.
So, by watering on your allocated watering days – Even numbered properties on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and odd or unnumbered properties on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday before 10am and after 4pm you can reduce the demand on our infrastructure and save yourself and everyone else money.
Protecting our H2O
It’s important that we protect our water supply to ensure public health and safety. One method is through backflow prevention.
Backflow prevention is the term used to refer to the prevention of an unwanted reverse flow of water from a potentially polluted source into the drinking water supply.
Backflow can be caused by back-siphonage, when water is siphoned from the property, or back-pressure, for example when a pump is connected to the water supply. It poses a public health risk because of a cross connection (e.g. chemicals, pesticides, bacteria and industrial waste) that can flow into the drinking water as a result.
Backflow can be prevented by fitting a backflow prevention device and by ensuring that plumbing systems are correctly designed and operated.
For more information, visit our backflow prevention webpage.