Reducing water use to save millions
Mackay Regional Council will invest in a number of alternative strategies to cut water use in a bid to save millions of dollars through the deferral of new infrastructure.
Water and wastewater portfolio councillor Deirdre Comerford said that alternative strategies were necessary in order to minimise the infrastructure costs associated with population growth.
“Mackay is one of the fastest growing regions in Queensland with the population expected to exceed 200,000 by the year 2030.
“If we continue to use water in the same way that we are currently using it, an additional water treatment plant, reservoir and trunk water main infrastructure will be required within the next ten years at a cost of approximately $100 million.
“With no subsidies available, the full cost of this infrastructure will need to be passed on to the community through water infrastructure charges and increases in water access and water consumption charges.
“These costs could be deferred significantly if reductions in overall water production per person could be achieved by the community.”
The reductions will be achieved through the improved collection of network information, improved performance of the network, customer education and consumption reduction programs.
Water and Waste Services director Jason Devitt said “Reducing our water consumption by just 10 per cent would defer the need to invest in new water infrastructure for 4 years, resulting in a saving of approximately $10 million.
“Some of the initiatives that customers can expect to see under the strategies include a meter replacement program, automatic meter reading, leak detection and customer usage reporting.”
