In Butler, there is a development stage called ‘The Green’, which is part of the Brighton third pipe scheme. This service was created by the developer to conserve drinking water in the northern suburbs of Perth. The ongoing servicing and management was then taken over by the Water Corporation.
You may also hear of this referred to as the Butler third pipe scheme, the Butler community bore, the Brighton community bore or just the community bore.
How do I tell if my property is on the Brighton third pipe scheme?
The first indication if you are on the third pipe scheme would be that you have 2 water meters. The first one is the normal water meter that every property has, issued by the Water Corporation. The second will be a purple meter, which is the Brighton third pipe scheme meter to your property.
On your water bill from the Water Corporation, you will also notice that there is a service charge for non-drinking water. This charge applies for all properties connected to the service, whether they are using the service or not.
The third pipe scheme covers the area East of the train line from Tobermory Crescent, up Landbeach Boulevard up to Broadford Ave. All properties on the community bore will have their irrigation set up to a retic controller with restricted programming. The controllers are provided by the Water Corporation, and often you will not know when the retic is running, as it will run on the days and times set out by the Water Corp, mostly very early in the morning.
I’m on the Brighton third pipe scheme, why can’t you test and repair my retic?
The tricky part of the scheme comes to maintenance and repairs of your retic system. The controllers are restricted and we are not able to do manual testing of your retic system outside of their designated testing times. There is a period of time on a Saturday morning where homeowners are able to test their systems and perform retic repairs. Unfortunately we do not work on the weekend. Even as a waterwise garden irrigator, we do not have special access to test your system during the week. If we can’t test your system, we are unable to identify leaks, or test our repair work. As such, we aren’t able to assist with irrigation repairs at properties where the third pipe scheme is active.
Who can help me with my retic in the Brighton third pipe scheme?
The Water Corp does have a specific contractor who is able to assist with the Brighton third pipe scheme. You will need to contact the Water Corp to lodge an enquiry to get this information. Here is some information directly from their website.
” For all Brighton third pipe scheme queries, replacements or complaints, please contact (08) 9273 4520. It is important that all enquiries are managed through this number (and not our contractors) to ensure we record your contact and resolve it as quickly as possible.”
Can I disconnect from the third pipe scheme?
It is possible to disconnect from the community bore, however a straight change over from the bore to mains will not work.
The community bore has a far greater output of pressure than the mains water pressure to the property. The bore waters a lot more of your garden on one zone, than it can from the mains water supply. This means new zones will need to be added to your retic system to ensure proper coverage. A licensed plumber will need to do a new ‘cut-in’ to the main water supply to your property. And, you will probably also need a new controller, due to the restricted access on the existing one.
When disconnecting from the Brighton third pipe scheme, you do need to let the Water Corp know. They need to ensure that you are not accidentally mixing up the mains water and non-drinkable water. And don’t forget, you will still be charged the non-drinkable water service fee to your property. This is charged evenly between all properties on the scheme, even if they are not using it.
You can find more information about the Brighton Third Pipe Scheme here on the Water Corp Website – https://www.watercorporation.com.au/Our-water/Groundwater/Brighton-third-pipe-scheme.
Please do not contact Mr Retic about irrigation service work in the Brighton third pipe scheme, as we are unable to assist with these repairs.
