Barnes Hill Header Image

Seqwater is carrying out a $1.5 million upgrade on two important water pipes which supply water from the Mount Crosby Water Treatment Plants to Brisbane and Ipswich. As part of this, Seqwater replaced four valves on two pipes that supply water to Brisbane and Ipswich.  

The works that occurred from Saturday 31 July to Sunday 1 August are completed. 

Seqwater is the bulk water supplier in South East Queensland, and Urban Utilities is responsible for delivering this treated water to your homes and businesses.  

While these works were underway, some properties in Brisbane may have experienced low or fluctuating water pressure or temporary discolouration of their water. 

Customers in impacted areas will have received notification in their letterbox. 

Trial works (complete)

Trial works occurred from Thursday, 3 June - Sunday, 6 June and have now been completed. The pipes were taken offline temporarily to carry out network checks to help plan the works.  
Valve replacement works (complete)

Saturday 17 July – Monday 19 July

These works involved replacing some of the valves. To do this, the two water pipes needed to be taken offline temporarily during the weekend of Saturday 17 July - Monday 19 July. 

Works also continued throughout last week, however there was no impact to water supply. 

Saturday 31 July - Sunday 1 August 

Seqwater carried out further work on the valves, which required the two pipes to be taken offline temporarily from Saturday 31 July to Sunday 1 August.

Impacts 

Customers may have temporarily experienced:

  • reduced or low water pressure,
  • potentially some discolouration of the water.

The water remained safe to drink.

For more information, view the other tabs on this page or visit the Seqwater website. 

The works that occurred from Saturday 31 July to Sunday 1 August are completed. 

The following areas of Brisbane may have experienced temporary changes to their water supply such as reduced or low water pressure and potential discolouration of water.

Brisbane

  • Acacia Ridge
  • Anstead
  • Bellbowrie
  • Brookfield
  • Chapel Hill
  • Fig Tree Pocket
  • Indooroopilly
  • Kenmore
  • Kenmore Hills
  • Moggill
  • Mount Ommaney
  • Oxley
  • Pinjarra Hills
  • Pullenvale
  • Seventeen Mile Rocks
  • Upper Brookfield

Tankering and booster pumps

During the works, we used water tankers and water booster pumps to help maintain water supply at locations around Brisbane. These connected to the local network and helped to keep the water flowing to local taps.

Customers may have experienced some noise during operation of the tankers and booster pumps. Parking may have been restricted in some areas but local access was maintained at all times.

During the connection and disconnection of the tankers and booster pumps, some properties will have experienced a short, temporary water outage.

This applied to the following suburbs:

  • Anstead
  • Brookfield
  • Kenmore Hills
  • Oxley
  • Pullenvale
Community Notes
For more information, view the other tabs on this page or visit the Seqwater website.

barnes hill imageBarnes Hill – or Camel Humps, according to the locals – is named after John Barnes who owned the hills and river frontage in that area in the late 19th century.

Pipes have been laid in this area for a long time to supply water from Mount Crosby to Brisbane, starting in 1890. 

These are some of Brisbane’s most historic water pipes. The pipe route follows the former stock route from Wivenhoe in the Brisbane Valley to Brisbane, known as the Butchers Track, which later became Mount Crosby Road and Moggill Road.

As Brisbane’s demand for water increased during the 20th century, more and larger pipes were added – progressing from one pipe with a 30cm diameter to two pipes with 1.65m diameters that we have today.

FAQsbarnes hill image

What did this project involve? 

The work required taking a section of the two pipes offline to replace four valves to improve the reliability of Seqwater’s bulk water supply network. The valves that were replaced were more than 50 years old and were reaching the end of their service life.

Should I have lost water during these works?

Some properties may have experienced a short, temporary water outage during the connection.

Why would I experience discoloured water during the works?

Discoloured water can occur due to water being supplied from another area and the required change in direction of water flow through the pipeline to your house.

Learn more about discoloured water. 

Will the water be safe to use and drink?

All tap water meets the stringent Australian Drinking Water Guidelines. 

More information

  • Visit the Seqwater website
  • Follow us on Facebook and Twitter
  • Talk to us on webchat (6am to 9pm weekdays).
  • Contact our General Enquiries line on 13 26 57 (8am to 6pm weekdays).
  • Contact our 24/7 Faults and Emergencies line on 13 23 64 if you experience issues with your water supply.