Community & Business
11 September, 2024
What to do with water towers
FROM a “decommissioning party” to art murals, the future of Mareeba’s historic water towers is coming up for debate, as the upgrades to the town’s water supply system near completion.
At its recent meeting, council officers advised that the filtration plant was on track and the booster pump stations were ready to come online after the latest pressure testing trial resulted in no water main breaks in the system.
Council officers said the arrival of specialised surge vessels this month would complete the new service which would provide a uniformed pressure system across all areas of Mareeba, in particular improving southside and some eastern areas.
The historic water towers, which have provided gravity-fed water supply to Mareeba for about a century, will be decommissioned, drained of water and cut off from the system.
The tallest of the towers was approved for construction in 1952 and is 9m higher than the other tower according to a report in a newspaper in April of that year.
The State Government had lent Mareeba £3330 (or $6,474) to “help meet the town’s growing needs”.
“Should we have a decommissioning party, for the tanks?” Deputy Mayor Lenore Wyatt suggested to the meeting.
“It’s a very historical site in our town. The community has a lot of suggestions. We should consider (the towers’) future.”
Council officers told the meeting the water towers remained an asset and were currently leased to mobile phone companies and housed Mareeba’s satellite dish.
Completion of the water network upgrades is programmed for late 2024.
