Cairns ‘runs out of processed water’ as mayor Terry James declares community cooperation ‘is crucial’

Cairns Mayor Terry James told residents on Monday to only use water for critical purposes until further notice.

“Council has not turned water off, as many are reporting. We have simply run out of processed water,” Mr James said in a statement.

“Major flooding has caused a major blockage at the Crystal Cascades intake which supplies the water treatment plant at Tunnel Hill.

“This morning our crews navigated very challenging conditions and landslides and had to climb their way into Crystal Cascades to access and clear the debris from the intake to the treatment plant.

“Work to restore water supply is ongoing. We are hopeful of clearing the blockage today.”

Once services are restored there will be limited access to water but residents are urged not to use it for anything other than critical purposes.

Mr James said it was “crucial” the Cairns community cooperated through this “challenging” period.

“We do not want to see people outside hosing their driveways,” he said.

Critical purposes include using water for drinking and cooking, personal hygiene and medical reasons.

The urgent notice about the limited water supply came before another warning about boiling water before use.

The Cairns Regional Council advised residents in Orchid Valley they should boil drinking water until further notice.

“Customers should bring water to a boil by heating the water until a continuous and rapid stream of air bubbles is produced from the bottom of a pan or kettle,” the warning read.

“Kettles with automatic cut-off switches are suitable. Variable temperature kettles should be set to boil.

“After heating, water must be allowed to cool before using it, and be stored in a clean, closed container for later use. Care should be taken to avoid scalding injuries.”

Boiling is required for uses including drinking, brushing teeth, washing and preparing food and drinks, preparing baby formula and making ice.

Some water can be used without boiling it including showering and bathing, washing dishes and clothes.

Large parts of the region around Cairns have been lashed with more than 300mm of rain in the past 24 hours with major flood warnings in place for the Daintree, Mossman, Barron, Mulgrave, Russell, Murray, and Herbert rivers.

Speaking to Sky News Australia on Monday, Mr James explained the situation had improved slightly overnight, but authorities were bracing the prospect of further rain in the coming hours.

“(The flooding is) the worst since 1977, but it’s probably the worst even before that,” he said.

“Luckily the situation overnight has eased so the first responders have been able to get into a lot of places and get that help that was urgently needed.

“We are expecting a repeat of yesterday which is unknown at this stage because we’ve got a lot of water coming down from the tablelands that’s going to reach the coast today.”

Locals and tourists hoping to escape the deluge were thwarted on Monday as Cairns Airport was forced to close for the second time in the space of a few days.

The Bureau of Meteorology reported the river level at the airport was likely to have peaked at 4.4 metres overnight, eclipsing the 4.1 metres recorded in 1977.

It is expected the waters will remain above the major flood level of 3.5 metres throughout Monday, with the risk of further increases due to the likelihood of more heavy rain.