ICE might sound like something from the freezer aisle, but in Wellington Point it has just been used to clean the town’s water pipes.
Redland City Council has successfully trialled an unusual water main cleaning method known as “ice pigging” in a move aimed at improving drinking water quality while reducing stress on the network.
The high-tech process was carried out this week along more than 2.4km of water main, primarily on Main Road between Birkdale Road and the Wellington Point Recreation Reserve.
Instead of relying on traditional flushing methods, the process pumps a semi-solid ice slurry through the pipes to scrub away sediment and biofilm buildup.
Mayor Jos Mitchell said the trial had delivered promising results.
“Ice pigging deep-cleans water mains to help maintain water quality and a safe, reliable supply, and it can be a cost-effective alternative to repeated flushing over time,” Mayor Mitchell said.
“Compared to conventional flushing methods that rely on high velocities and large volumes of water, ice pigging allows pipes to be cleaned with less disruption and reduced risk to the network.”
The process takes its name from the long-established pipeline maintenance practice of “pigging”, where a cleaning device known as a pig is pushed through pipes to scrape debris away.
But instead of using a solid scraping tool, ice pigging uses a specially designed potable-grade ice slurry that can move through bends, valves and varying pipe sizes without damaging infrastructure.
Council says the icy mixture places less pressure stress on pipes while still effectively removing buildup inside the network.
The technique also reduces the need for aggressive high-velocity flushing, lowering the risk of damage while maintaining water quality and system integrity.
Wellington Point was selected for the trial because it sits at the far end of the water supply network fed from the Capalaba Water Treatment Plant.
Council monitored water quality before and after the clean to measure improvements.
