Coliban Water is reminding customers to be prepared with an alternative source of water in the event of bushfires and power outages this summer.
Manager Customer Operations Steve Dunlop said bushfires and power outages can affect the water supply and customers should not rely on town water as part of their fire plans.
“Our ability to maintain water supply or pressure can be impacted. It is important for customers to be prepared with another source of water if town water becomes limited or unavailable," said Mr Dunlop.
“If customers intend to defend their property they should install a water tank for firefighting purposes with a pump that is protected from radiant heat and not reliant on mains power supply.
“It is important that everybody sets aside drinking water during extreme hot weather and fire danger days.
“A number of towns in our region experienced power outages on the Code Red day last month. Our Bendigo office, and a number of our water treatment plants and pump stations were affected.
“Our office and water treatment plants in our major towns have diesel-generated backup power. In our smaller towns the clear water storages have sufficient volumes to supply water for up to eight to 16 hours.
“In the event of a bushfire or power outage the supply and demand for water is unpredictable. We may have to ask customers to minimise non-essential water use to preserve supplies.
“On the Code Red day our Emergency Management system was enacted and our Incident Management Team deployed to prepare for issues and coordinate our response, said Mr Dunlop.
CFA Chief Officer/CEO Steve Warrington said it is important to be aware of the Fire Danger Ratings and if a district has been declared a Total Fire Ban or Code Red day.
“Being prepared is key to reducing risk when severe weather events are predicted,” said Mr Warrington.
“You don’t have to live in the country to be at risk of fire. If you live near areas that have significant bush, forest or long grass then you need to plan and prepare for the fire season. Understanding your level of risk is the first step in knowing what to do before and during a fire.
“Leaving early is the safest option to protect yourself and your family. You could be in serious risk of uncontrollable fires on Severe, Extreme and Code Red days.
“Defending your home is very risky. Most houses are not constructed to withstand fires in Severe, Extreme and Code Red conditions.
“I urge everyone to stay safe and have your fire plan ready,” said Mr Warrington.
For further information on bushfires and your water supply see our Bushfire Readiness page and for water service interruptions visit our Interruptions page on www.coliban.com.au
For emergency information and warnings, visit the www.emergency.vic.gov.au and for information on fire safety visit www.cfa.vic.gov.au