How Brisbane gets it wrong ...

From the Courier Mail:

Brisbane is still supplying millions of litres of water a day to the Gold Coast, despite Coast dams being close to full capacity and Gold Coast Mayor Ron Clarke insisting the allocation is no longer necessary.

Under a contract valid until mid-2007, Brisbane supplies 20 million litres a day from Wivenhoe Dam, one of the city's three storages now down to 33 per cent capacity.

Hinze Dam – the Gold Coast's major supply source – is 85 per cent full.

The sale – estimated at more than $50,000 a week – was defended by Cr Newman, who said residents would "understand".

A spokesman for Water Minister Henry Palaszczuk said any trade of water was a matter for the respective councils.

See - Water not needed on Gold Coast.

A BURST waterpipe in Woolloongabba in Brisbane early yesterday morning turned parts of Vulture St into a swimming pool and regular routes to work into traffic chaos.

The pipe, laid in 1915, released eight megalitres of water before being turned off by authorities.

Brisbane has 5500km of water main piping, and only 10km of it is replaced every year.

Council increased funding for water and wastewater infrastructure to $180 million last year, triple what it spent in 2001-02.

See - Time to speed up pipe replacement.

LORD Mayor Campbell Newman launched an inquiry into Brisbane's water authority yesterday after a series of breaks in water mains and a national report showing the city is losing millions of litres a day in leaks.

The Liberal mayor claims Brisbane's crumbling water infrastructure is being glossed over by a misinformation campaign by Water and City Business chairman John Campbell – claims the Labor councillor rejects.

It also emerged yesterday that Tarong Power Station was buying up to 70 million litres of water a day from Brisbane's rapidly diminishing Wivenhoe Dam – although the power supplier has its own dam.

See - BCC launches inquiry.