Robot technology used to clean water reservoirs while capturing footage and data will assist Bundaberg Regional Council's upcoming maintenance schedule.
Water and Wastewater portfolio spokesperson Cr Jason Bartels said the technology had replaced the need for staff to physically clean the reservoirs, minimising safety concerns and instead offering many benefits.
“This specialised robot enables cleaning of the reservoir floors which contributes to maintaining the water quality in the region,” he said.
“It also take real-time recorded footage that provides detailed views of all internal assets.
“This footage creates a record which is used to prepare condition reports that will assist future planning and help to prevent expensive repairs to these critical assets.”
Cr Bartels said the robot allowed Council to inspect more than one site per day, including the region's elevated water towers.
He said introducing this technology increased the efficiency of reservoir cleaning.
“In the past Council would have to take the reservoirs ‘offline' which meant they had to be drained to complete internal inspections, which was a time-consuming process,” Cr Bartels said.
“Now, with these new innovations, Council is at the forefront to ensure that we are in touch with what is new in the water industry while providing the best service possible.
“This is part of Bundaberg Regional Council’s commitment to ensure that we provide a safe affordable water supply of the highest standard to our community.”
Council will undertake reservoir cleaning in the coming weeks with no disruption to water quality or supply expected.
In the rare event that customers experience dirty water due, contact the Bundaberg Regional Council Call Centre 1300 883 699.
