A group of Mount Alexander Shire locals is petitioning Coliban Water to improve water access from public standpipe taps.
Petition organiser Rosemary Sorensen said the shire was well behind other shires in the region when it came to this basic service.
“We want Coliban and the council to plan now to make the necessary changes, not to wait for another drought year or another terrifying fire season to improve the service,” she said.
Homes, properties and businesses not on town water rely on trucks to cart water from standpipes, which are metered and require an account code to access. There are only three in Mount Alexander – Maldon, Newstead and Taradale.
Ms Sorensen said the sites were problematic because town growth had increased the noise disruption from big water trucks and low water pressure meant the trucks could take up to an hour to fill.
“Apparently, there used to be two other sites, in Harcourt and Elphinstone, but when Mount Alexander Shire switched from a token payment system to a metered system, they removed those standpipes,” Ms Sorensen said.
“I’ve asked why this happened, as it seems very short-sighted, especially now after the Harcourt fire has really put the need for good services in the spotlight.”
Dean Haddock, owner and operator of Castlemaine Water Carter based in Walmer, has serviced hundreds of properties in the shire. He has repeatedly tried to bring first the council’s and, since Mount Alexander handed over standpipe management responsibility, Coliban Water’s attention to the need for more standpipes.
“With new places being built, and when we have a dry year, we can’t keep up with demand,” he says.
“Limiting the hours on the three standpipes in the shire is only a bandaid solution to the noise, and it’s only going to get harder.
“Both the council and Coliban are ignoring the problem until it becomes worse, which it will.”
Ms Sorensen said Coliban Water told her they budget in five-yearly cycles, so new standpipes could not be installed until the next cycle, which would begin in 2027.
“People in Harcourt are keen to support the call for the reinstallation of a standpipe there, and there are sites in north Castlemaine and Guildford that would be good,” she said.
“The Maldon standpipe was out of order a while back because it was hit by a truck, and I’d hate to see someone seriously hurt because of the time stresses put on the drivers,” she said.
“When you explain the situation to people, most get it straight away. I’m a bit surprised that it’s taking a campaign to nudge Coliban and council into action, but we’ll keep at it.”
