Nhill’s town water storage tank burst on Wednesday, March 12, at approximately 6:40 a.m. when a low-level water storage facility failed on George Street.

A spokesperson for GWMWater confirmed that no injuries were reported but said a small number of nearby residential properties experienced water damage.

“We have had staff on site offering support and assessing damage for compensation,” the spokesperson said. “The cause of the failure is still under investigation, but early indications suggest significant ground movement may have been a factor. To restore systems, we bypassed the failed tank and continued to use the second ground tank to supply water to the elevated tower.”

Residents were asked to conserve drinking water on Wednesday morning, but services were restored by the evening.

Nhill SES Incident Controller Des Smith said some residents had damage to sheds and outdoor areas, but one home on George Street was the most affected.

Hayden and Bridget Tink, owners of the damaged property, expressed their gratitude to SES volunteers.

“We are incredibly thankful for the Nhill SES volunteers who helped cleaned up inside our house early Wednesday morning after the water storage tank burst,” they said. “Without volunteers, this support wouldn’t be available.”

Hayden Tink described the moment the tank burst.

“It was quite scary. We just heard a big bang and came out to find fast-flowing water gushing into our house. There is extensive damage inside and outside, making our home unliveable at this stage.”

The storage tank had a capacity of approximately 1.8 megalitres—enough to fill more than an Olympic swimming pool.

While the cleanup continues, residents are reminded that the affected properties are private. Non-authorised individuals should not enter or access the area.

This article appeared in the Nhill Free Press & Kaniva Times, 19 March 2025.