How the State government wastes water ...

You have to wonder why a city's residents should be forced to drink recycled sewage when the decision-makers in Brisbane waste so much water ...

From the Sunday Mail:

28 May 2006

What a waste

By Ainsley Pavey

Government MPs and bureaucrats who preach the water-wise message to Queenslanders have been flushed out as some of our worst water wasters.

While southeast Queensland residents are being told to watch every drop, a Sunday Mail investigation has lifted the lid on the biggest leaks in State Parliament including:

- Single-flush cisterns that use twice as much water as dual-flush toilets compulsory in new homes since 2003.

- Urinals left to run 24 hours a day even when Parliament is not sitting.

- Water-hungry shower heads in members' private rooms in the Parliamentary Annexe that could easily be replaced with AAA-rated shower heads now common in private homes.

- Ageing top-loader washing machines that use three times the water of more efficient modern washers.

- Single flush cisterns were also discovered in the city offices of Water Minister Henry Palaszczuk.

State Opposition Leader Lawrence Springborg said it was hypocritical of Premier Peter Beattie to allow so much water to be wasted at Parliament after declaring a month ago "many homes are still using far more water than they need to in this period of extreme drought".

"There are thousands of Olympic-sized pools just being wasted every week in State Government buildings while the Beattie Government lectures everybody else," Mr Springborg said.

"There is no better example of the Government's failure to recognise the importance of water."

He said the Government should be leading the way but had treated water as a low priority in the past 15 years.

"Is it any wonder that they have failed to provide basic infrastructure like dams when they are happy to waste precious drinking water flushing toilets 24 hours a day, seven days a week at Parliament House?" he said.

After being approached by The Sunday Mail, Public Works Minister Robert Schwarten said he would take a strategy to Cabinet next month to cut water usage in Government buildings across the state.

"Water-saving targets of at least 15 to 20 per cent are expected to be delivered initially through retro-fitting works in these buildings," Mr Schwarten said.

Speaker Tony McGrady said $200,000 was set aside in the next Budget for water saving at Parliament House, including low-flush toilets and gardening water tanks.

Mr McGrady said the complex had 157 toilets, 37 urinals, 81 bedrooms with showers and 123 offices.

"Investigations are under way to look at reduced flushing in toilets throughout the complex," Mr McGrady said.

But Mr Springborg slammed the proposed program as "too little too late".

Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman has also admitted chain-flush urinals and single-flush toilets were still in use at City Hall.

He made the admission after earlier criticising the Government for wasting water in its buildings.

"I would be disappointed if the State Government was not making every effort to conserve water during the worst drought in 100 years," Cr Newman had said.

Source - Sunday Mail - What a waste.