Toowoomba water access charge fallout continues ...

Brisbane City residents pay just $155 per annum to access water, $480 less than what Toowoomba residents will pay under the new access charges.

Brisbane ratepayers are charged $1.84 for every kilo-litre, Toowoomba city residents $1.50.

See - WIN News - Water charges.

Council is blaming the rate rise on the $187m Wivenhoe pipeline, the cost to maintain it, and the State government's withdrawal of the 40% infrastructure subsidy.

See - WIN News - Council blames anyone else for problems.

Toowoomba's 2009 water charges - here comes the pain ...

Toowoomba Regional Council - water charges:

Toowoomba Bulk Water Supply

Access charge - $320 per half year ($640 per annum)

First Tier - $1.50/kL (First Tier max. consumption limit - 100kL)

Second Tier - $2.80/kL

Half yearly water rates notice - to be sent in November and May.

SEQ - water supply merger to lead to separate bills ...

Courier Mail:

Water supply merger to lead to separate bills

23 October 2009

Brisbane ratepayers will receive a separate water bill from January, following the formation of a huge council-owned water distribution company.

The change is likely to coincide with another hike in water charges, expected to push the average Brisbane household water bill above $600 a year, nearly double what it was five years ago.

The company, Queensland Urban Utilities, will handle the distribution and sale of all water to homes and business in Brisbane, Ipswich and towns in the Lockyer Valley.
...

See - Courier Mail - Water supply merger to lead to separate bills.

Anna Bligh's decision to reserve 20% of CSG supplies for domestic use "mind bogglingly stupid" ...

Ivor Ries argues in the Eureka Report that Qld reserving 20% of CSG for domestic use is "so mind-bogglingly stupid" that it may just stop all development.

See - The Eureka Report (subscription required).

See - Qld Government report - Blueprint for Qld's LNG Industry.

Toowoomba's Cooby Dam and Cressbrook Dam - reports ordered into spillway adequacy ...

The department has also ordered reports on the adequacy of spillways at Cooby Dam and Cressbrook Dam near Toowoomba and Baroon Pocket Dam on the Sunshine Coast as part of an ongoing investigation into dam safety.

See - Courier Mail - Queensland dams overflowing with risk for local residents.

4350water blog updates on Twitter ...

If you're not following 4350water blog on Twitter, you're not following 4350water blog ...

Environmentalists rally against SA water privatisation

See - ABC News - Environmentalists rally against SA water privatisation.

Oakey taps bore water for drinking water supplies ...

The Chronicle:

Treated bore water for drinking

30 September 2009

Take it from Will Higgins: Oakey water is now so pure you can't taste it.

That was the Toowoomba Regional Council engineer's verdict after sampling a glass of H20 at the opening of the town's new reverse osmosis plant yesterday.

He said the bore water treated in the $4.8 million system was so clear that salt had to be added to it before it was pumped to houses - otherwise it would damage the infrastructure.

“It's terrific water,” he said over the sound of the plant which is as noisy as a night club.

The Israeli-designed system produces two megalitres of pure water every day for Oakey.

The bore water goes through a sand filter, then two lots of screens which are so fine they can take out a grain of sand.

Finally, it hits a synthetic membrane which removes the final stubborn particles of salt.

New Acland Coal Mine uses the leftover salty water.

The company pipes it 20 kilometres for reuse in its coal-washing facility.

The plant was officially opened by Natural Resources Minister Stephen Robertson.

“This has taken some pressure off the existing reticulated water supplies for Toowoomba which have been under significant stress for a number of years now,” he said.

See - The Chronicle - Treated bore water for drinking.