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Trunk mains: fix your water pressure
Problems with your trunk main water pressure? Here’s what you need to do.
Being connected to a water trunk main can present you with water pressure and water quality problems. Here are some steps you can take.
If your property is located between a water treatment plant and the reticulated town supply, your water is safe to drink, but the pressure can be very unpredictable.
If your property is located between a water source and a treatment plant, you have the compounded problem of water quality and erratic pressure.
If you are unsure where on the trunk main your property lies, contact us.
Water pressure problems explained
Let’s say you run a tap at the same time we pump a large amount of water from a treatment plant to a reticulated system head. In this instance you would get a sudden increase in pressure that can be messy at best, and at worst it can ruin home appliances such as washing machines and dishwashers.
The opposite can also happen, where pressure can unexpectedly drop, or disappear, at a time when you may need water the most.
Unlike reticulated systems, trunk main connections cannot be isolated. This means water can be turned off without warning for many customers if urgent work on a trunk main is needed.
Fix your water pressure
This can be done in two ways:
- Pressure reducing valve: Contact your local plumber to ask about fitting one of these simple and inexpensive devices to your incoming water supply. While they work great for preventing those unexpected bursts of water, they offer no solution to little or no water pressure.
- Tank and pump: Installing a small tank and pump is the best way to deal with too much, too little, or no pressure at all. Connecting a float valve to a tank will ensure your tank automatically refills as you use water in your house. There is no need for a large tank, just something sufficient to see you through any unexpected times when we need to work on the trunk main.
How to set up a tank, pump and valve system
Our recommended home set-up to end your water pressure worries.
- Your connection to the water trunk main
- A pressure reducing valve (PRV) is installed at your water meter
- A small water tank with an airlock and float valve is installed, ensuring your tank never overflows or feeds back into the system
- A water pump delivers water to your home without any pressure fluctuations.
To learn more about improving the quality of your water supply, click on the 'Is my water safe to drink?' button below:
Is my water safe to drink?
Get the lowdown on the quality of your water and how to make it safe to drink.
Water trunk mains explained
Everything you need to know about drawing water from one of our water trunk mains.
Can I connect to a trunk main?
Trunk mains have water quality and pressure problems, so we currently don’t allow new connections.
Frequently Asked Questions
A trunk main is intended to transport large quantities of water across our supply network, taking water from reservoirs to treatment plants, and finally to the head of reticulated systems. These are the arteries of our system and people with properties connected to a trunk main experience unpredictable water pressure, and for some customers, water that can be unsafe to drink.
No, most of our customers in built-up areas are connected to a reticulated water supply network, supplied by a trunk main. Most of our trunk main customers live in rural areas too far from a reticulated system to access it.
Yes. Trunk main customers pay the same water rates because trunk main connections are typically more expensive for Council to operate and maintain.
Trunk mains are our main water transporting network, delivering large volumes of water between the source, reservoirs and treatment plants.
In simple terms, trunk main connections are more labour intensive to consistently supply and they are twice as likely to leak.
Trunk main infrastructure and connections are also more time consuming to repair, owing to the difficulty in pinpointing and isolating leaks when they occur.
This adds up to a vital community asset that takes a lot of work and money to keep operational.
Water rates from trunk main and town water customers are vital for the ongoing maintenance of the shire’s water delivery network.
Unpredictable water pressure can ruin home appliances or see you going without water when you need it most. Customers connected to a trunk main drawing straight from a water source have the additional problem of dealing with water that can be unsafe to drink.
While reticulated water mains are designed for the regular supply of safe-to-drink water to your taps, trunk mains are designed to transport large amounts of water across our network, from water source to treatment plant, and from here to the reticulated system head.
Trunk mains can deliver unpredictable pressure and untreated water to connected properties.
No, some trunk main customers are connected to sections drawing untreated water from creeks or lakes, while other customers are connected to sections linking treatment plants to reticulated systems. All trunk main connections are subject to erratic water pressure, and connections drawing from water sources have the additional problem of water quality.
Due to the problems of unpredictable water pressure and raw water, we currently don’t allow new connections to any of our water trunk mains.
Households and businesses without connections to a reticulated water system need to organise offline water supplies with an appropriate tank and pump setup.
To improve reliability of supply you will need a pressure reducing valve or a tank and pump installed. To improve your water quality you can heat water to a rolling boil for one minute, or install an approved reverse osmosis water filter or a UV treatment device with pre-filter. Visit our ‘Is my water safe to drink?’ and ‘Water pressure problems’ pages for more information.
No, the cost of delivering a reticulated water supply to rural locations is too high. Also, extending the reticulated network to low density rural locations can lead to stagnation and chlorine decay without the high turnover of water required to keep the supply fresh and disinfected.
Be sure to inform your plumber that you are a trunk main customer requiring help with water pressure problems, water quality issues, or both. Some of the diagrams and information on this page will let your plumber know of the steps required to work on your property.
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Contact Us
- 02 6499 2222
- council@begavalley.nsw.gov.au
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Zingel Place
PO Box 492
Bega NSW 2550 -
Monday to Friday 9.00AM to 4.30PM
Administration building Zingel Place Bega
Australia -
ABN: 26 987 935 332