Central Coast Council was alerted to a burst water main at The Round Drive, Avoca Beach at approximately 6.20am on Wednesday 8 August.

A Council team was sent to site immediately to repair the main, which was caused by the root system of an approximately 20 metre high gum tree directly above the main.

Council Acting Director Assets, Infrastructure and Business, Boris Bolgoff said Council has a solution to minimise the risk of future water main breaks at Avoca Beach.

“We have a plan in place for Avoca Beach and we will action this plan as soon as possible in light of recent breaks and associated property damage in the area,” said Mr Bolgoff.

“Our plan for maintaining and improving the Central Coast’s water and sewer system includes a region-wide water mains renewal program that began in July this year and has been prioritised based areas that have experienced higher numbers of water main breaks in recent times.”

Council has already completed replacement of 575 metres of pipeline along The Round Drive and had identified plans to replace a further 1600 metres of pipework which is currently planned to commence in October this year.

The new pipework will be constructed in the roadway, which will preserve trees and minimise water supply disruptions to customers during construction. Traffic control will be in place to direct road users and ensure their safety.

Due to the large size of the main which burst on Wednesday 8 August there was a sudden release of water that caused water damage to three properties on The Round Drive.  Although the properties suffered various degrees of water damage residents were able to remain in their homes.

Repair of the main took longer than expected due to the necessity to remove the large tree and stump that had grown over the main.

During the repair process it was necessary to cut the water supply to approximately 110 properties across The Round Drive, Parrendi Close, Kumali Close, Nurragi Close and Baronga Road, with water restored to all impacted properties by approximately 11.15pm.

An alternative drinking water supply was provided at Hazlett Park, Gill Avenue and Avoca Beach Primary School.

Water main breaks will periodically occur across all water systems and are typically caused by ground and weather conditions, tree roots and third party damage.

Council works to resolve water outages as quickly as possible and apologises for any inconvenience caused when outages do occur.