Karabar Water Mains Replacement

Announcement

Planned water outages will occur from 12-15 March as the new mains are connected.

Project typeCapital Works
Project value$3.7 million
Project scheduleTo be completed by March 2025
Contractor nameKillard Group

The water mains in the Karabar area around Cooma Street are aging. As a result, they have failed several times in recent years, and each of these failures has disrupted water supply, traffic movement and public safety.

To fix the problem, we are constructing replacement water mains in some streets of Karabar. The streets and impacted area are shown below:

Cooma Street (between Bulbar and Lochiel Streets)
Kenneth Place
Montebar Place
Oleria Street
Lily Place
Alanbar Street

We engaged Killard Group to undertake the works. They are a specialist pipe construction company with a strong commitment to quality and safety.

Upcoming work

The works on water mains in the Karabar area are nearing completion. A large number of properties have already been connected to the new network, and the final property connections will be made in the next few weeks. The contractor found more extensive areas of hard rock than expected, and this has led to some slippage of the construction timeframe. The project remains within budget.

Connections of properties on the Queanbeyan River side of Cooma Street will occur in the week starting 14 April, and water outages to a limited number of properties will be required. Notifications to affected properties will be delivered in the coming days. To allow these works to be undertaken, one side of Cooma Street will be closed to traffic between Monday 14 April and Thursday 17 April during daylight hours (weather permitting). During these times, stop-go arrangements will be in place to allow traffic to travel in both directions. Delays are expected and drivers are encouraged to use alternative routes.

Final connections of the new network to the existing network will occur after Anzac Day. These connections will require additional water outages in some areas and details will be provided to affected properties in advance of these works. Following these works, restoration of roads and verges, and removal of the site compound will occur. Further disruptions to traffic will occur, however these are expected to be less significant and will be managed by the contractor as necessary. Council appreciates your patience and understanding as we complete these important works. Weather permitting, it is expected that the works will be completed by the end of May 2025.

You can prepare for a planned outage by:

Filling water bottles and jugs with water for drinking
Planning your cooking, showering or washing before or after the scheduled outage
Turning off automatic starts/finishes on devices that use water and irrigation
Placing a full bucket of water next to each toilet to refill the cistern

Once the connection is completed, our contractor will flush the mains to bring fresh water into the local area. When water is turned back on, water may appear cloudy and splutter until any air in the water mains escapes and the water pressure stabilises. Water may also appear slightly dirty. To fix this, please run your taps for around 5 minutes and the water should return to normal. If the issues is still continuing after a few hours, please contact Council on 1300 735 025.

We regret the inconvenience of these critical works and appreciates your understanding. If you have a medical condition that requires constant water supply, please contact Council on 1300 735 025 at the earliest opportunity to discuss the matter.