Why are other regions in Qld required to develop a regional approach ...

... while Toowoomba is allowed to go it alone?

From ABC News:

Councils urged to form water strategy

22 May 2006

The region's water body wants Townsville and Thuringowa councils to form a regional water strategy to win federal funding for their water recycling projects.

The councils are struggling to get funding to start up multi-million dollar effluent treatment plants to sell recycled water to industry.

NQ Water's chief executive, Ken Diehm, says the solution may be to sell the plants to NQ Water to develop.

He says if the cities do not act quickly, the state water commission will take control.

Mr Diehm says if NQ Water buys the water treatment plants from the councils, it would have a better chance of getting the projects developed.

"One of the complications that we currently have is both the state and federal governments' extreme reluctance to provide grants and subsidies for water and sewerage projects in this region until a regional water supply strategy has been developed," he said.

"So to be able to develop this strategy, there's a real benefit in terms of access to other forms of government funding and subsidies."

Source - ABC News - Councils urged to form water strategy.