Minister Turnbull to Beattie - produce your numbers by Friday ...

Excerpt from the Australian:

Personal health and hygiene at risk from water limits

26 March 2007

The 2.6 million residents of drought-ravaged southeast Queensland have been warned their health and hygiene is at risk from the introduction of tighter water restrictions.

Premier Peter Beattie has also warned of power blackouts as unprecedented level-six restrictions appear set to be introduced in the region within six months.

He foreshadowed a blow-out of the $1.7 billion cost estimate for the state's western corridor recycled water pipeline.

The warnings surfaced as Federal Water Resources Minister Malcolm Turnbull said Mr Beattie had until the end of the week to provide detailed financial information in support of Queensland's application for a $404 million subsidy for the western corridor project.

Mr Turnbull said Queensland had failed to respond to his offer to provide commonwealth consultants to help develop a business plan for the pipeline.

The warnings from the Premier were made in a submission to the Prime Minister in support of Queensland's subsidy application.

The western corridor pipeline is the world's fourth-largest recycled water project and the centrepiece of Queensland's $8 billion plan to drought-proof southeast Queensland.
...

In his January 29 submission to John Howard, a copy of which was given to The Australian, the Premier said restrictions on indoor water use would have impacts on the personal health and hygiene of the 2.6 million residents of southeast Queensland, whose numbers would swell to 3.9 million by 2026.

Without major new infrastructure, the region faced "catastrophic" consequences, including disruption to electricity supplies if water shortages forced power stations to shut down, Mr Beattie said

The Premier indicated the cost of the western corridor pipeline would exceed the $1.7 billion estimate.

The final scope of the project had not been determined, but given the level of activity in the market and the need to build the pipeline as soon as possible, there was a "high likelihood" that costs would rise.

Mr Turnbull said it was clear that Queensland needed to provide a better estimate of the costs of the project.

Ms Bligh said Mr Turnbull was making excuses to avoid funding the pipeline.

"He is denying Queenslanders their rightful share of national funding when we are in the middle of our worst ever drought," she said.

See - Beattie needs to number crunch by Friday.