Ratepayers face water price hike ...

The Beattie government goes into crisis mode on water.

Why is it that Brisbane is selling water to the Gold Coast when Hinze Dam is at over 85% capacity?

From the Courier Mail

Ratepayers face water price hike

28jan06

LOCAL Government water charges could rise by up to $185 a year per ratepayer under a $3 billion emergency water package announced yesterday.

Local councils must contribute up to $1 billion of the package aimed at stopping southeast Queensland running out of water in as little as three years.

Emergency measures outlined yesterday include mandatory rainwater tanks on all new homes, a Gold Coast desalination plant and re-commissioning of old water resources.

Natural Resources and Mines Minister Henry Palaszczuk said the State Government would fund about $2 billion of new infrastructure but a further $1 billion must come from water users.

Mr Palaszczuk said that, unless money from a $2 billion Federal Government Australian Water Fund was made available to local councils, water users would be forced to pay.

"Ultimately, (higher water charges) probably will occur, but not in the short term," he said.

Local Government Association acting executive director Greg Hoffman said the cost burden to ratepayers would total about $185 a year for five years if distributed equally among the 18 southeast Queensland councils.

Mr Hoffman said the $185 figure was an estimate because water costs varied depending on consumption levels and differences between domestic, industrial and commercial use.

The new measures have already sparked criticism. The Property Council of Australia has criticised the cost burden of compulsory water tanks and said the jury was still out on the benefits of desalination.

The threat of extra costs for ratepayers has opened the door for squabbling between councils over who should foot the bill.

Tight water restrictions have already caused disputes in council areas where there is no water shortage.

But Brisbane Lord Mayor – and chair of the South East Queensland Council of Mayors – Campbell Newman, said immediate action was needed to avert a crisis.

"All governments have their commitments – what I'm urging all partners to do is to get on with it," he said.

Mr Palaszczuk said the State Government's strategy did not include new dams.

"There is already a trillion litres of unused water storage capacity," Mr Palaszczuk said.

Short-term solutions in the interim report include:

• Water restrictions, pressure reduction and leakage management.

• Recommissioning Enoggera Dam and Lake Manchester.

• Identifying groundwater in Brisbane for emergency supplies.

• Collecting wastewater from Brisbane and Ipswich to supply to industry.

• Construction of Cedar Grove Weir on the Logan River and Mary River Weir for Gympie and Noosa.

• Mandating rainwater tanks in new homes for toilet and outdoor use.

• Saving 50 to 75 megalitres a day by reducing water system pressure and leakage, through a $20 million state subsidy.

Long-term solutions included raising the Hinze and Wivenhoe, Wyaralong dams and the re-commissioning of Ewen Maddock Dam.

The final report is expected at the end of 2006.

SEQ Water has blamed an unpredictable climate shift on the drying dams.

It said that, if the area's major dams receive minimum recorded inflows, "the region has about three years of supply remaining".

The situation is made more critical by the fact that, by 2026, the population of southeast Queensland is expected to top 3.7 million, more than twice the population in 1985.

Meanwhile, Mr Palaszczuk and Cr Newman congratulated residents for saving more than 50 billion litres of water since water restrictions came in to effect last May.

Demand is down this month about 30 per cent over previous years.

But water storage levels at Wivenhoe, Somerset and North Pine dams are still only a third full because major rain in the catchment has been slight over the past five years.

See - Time for water solutions.