PHOTO: Robert Yeo slipped on mud in the main street left by broken water mains. He picked up a scrape of mud on his left leg (pictured).
Broken water mains have triggered water pressure drops and supply disruptions for residents and businesses over the second half of January.
Council have rushed to undertake urgent repairs and are also calling for residents to be careful with their water use.
The rush of water in gutters also created a short term slip hazard in Coonamble’s main street that caused at least one man to take a tumble.
Coonamble Shire confirmed on Friday 31 January the breaks and leaks in a number of streets from mid to late January were due to “ageing infrastructure, ground movement and soil characteristics” coupled with storms that month.
The water flowing in the main street gutters left a slurry of mud along the street’s eastern side.
Eighty-four-year-old Robert Yeo slipped heading towards CJ’s Country Kitchen on 24 January after stepping from his parked car outside the cafe.
Residents had earlier reported another man slipping on the roadway but this has not been verified.
Mr Yeo, who also uses a walking stick, said he thought the surface was dry.
“It’s a danger,” he said.
“I’ll be ‘right. Just fell on my left arse.”
Mr Yeo was helped to his feet and sat on a chair on the footpath.
He said he was not seriously injured, although his left leg picked up a scrape of mud.
A Council spokesperson said on Monday 3 February that it is developing a program to progressively replace aging water mains under their “asset management review.”
“Leaks are attributed to ageing infrastructure, ground movement and soil characteristics along with the storms which can have an effect on power supply and the network,” the spokesperson said.
“This has seen an increase in multiple water main and water service leaks recently across various locations.”
“All maintenance repairs are prioritised in the first instance, with the more severe leaks given the higher priority and addressed first. Council acknowledges that there was some mud and debris around the streets following the recent mains break in and around the CBD and this has since been cleaned up. There is no mud now present at the main street site.”