Western Water has added a hydro vehicle to its fleet to speed up sewer and water maintenance and enhance its emergency response capability.
The $300,000 vehicle – which acts as a large vacuum cleaner, removing dirt, water and waste – is expected to allow the authority’s work teams to quickly access any source of problems.
Commissioned last month, the vehicle uses technology that was previously reserved for extremely large water bursts as part of a contracted service.
‘‘It will also reduce the likelihood of our crews having to dig up large sections of nature strips to repair bursts,’’ customer and community relations general manager Graham Holt said.
The vehicle will also improve safety for staff, removing the need for some manual handling tasks.
Mr Holt said the truck came much cheaper than the $560,000 estimated cost of clean-ups using contracted vehicles. “To rent this type of equipment costs at least $1000 per callout, and the safety improvements for our staff are even more important than the cost savings.”
Last month, Star Weekly reported that incorrect disposal of nappies, wipes and other items was causing blockages that cost Western Water more than $150,000 a year to remove.
