Water management authority Wide Bay Water Corporation recently opened an office in Brisbane to help tackle southeast Queensland’s water crisis. Located in Springwood, Logan City, the office is the result of a partnership with Logan Water and Logan City Council.
It will deliver a multimillion dollar project, which is expected to lead to water savings of 4.2 million litres of water per day. The office will also deliver significant water loss management contracts and activities for other southeast Queensland Local Governments, including Gold Coast Water, Brisbane Water and Redcliffe City Council.
Wide Bay Water Corporation is a business unit of Hervey Bay City Council, which is located 300 kilometres north of Brisbane.
Wide Bay Water Corporation CEO, Tim Waldron, said as Queensland’s only Local Government owned water corporation and a world leader in water management, the organisation is in the perfect position to advise and assist southeast Queensland water authorities.
“Wide Bay Water Corporation has pioneered water loss management projects with dozens of water authorities in Australia and overseas, including the Gold Coast pressure and leakage management program,” Tim Waldron said. “Gold Coast City Council called on us to help implement our unique pressure and leakage management program to conserve drinking water and cut down on the amount of water wasted from leakages and pipe breakages. Our innovative solution involved the establishment of more than 60 pressure managed District Metered Areas, which was a key factor in ensuring a sustainable water supply for the Gold Coast and putting Council on track to save 7,500 million litres per year. The project has formed the basis of the leakage and pressure program currently being rolled out in southeast Queensland.”
Tim Waldron said the new Springwood office will not only assist southeast Queensland Councils with technical and engineering support in areas such as leakage, pressure management, project management and consulting services, but will also serve as a training venue for water authorities and service providers. He believes under the current Local Government arrangements, urban water management in regional Queensland is not performing optimally.
“The water industry and ownership arrangements are fragmented with some water management areas lacking in key financial structures and management systems, and technical capabilities,” Tim Waldron said.
He added that the situation was compounded for local Councils, which had difficulty attracting and retaining the necessary engineering, scientific and business professionals to effectively manage water responsibilities.
“Every Queensland citizen deserves the best service available from a large range of water specialists,” Tim Waldron said. “Many Councils cannot attract such expertise, and we are well known for having some of the best scientists and engineers.”
In addition to providing water and wastewater services to the City of Hervey Bay, Wide Bay Water Corporation is working with more than 60 water authorities throughout Australia and in four overseas countries on water management projects.
For further information on Wide Bay Water Corporation call 1300 808 888 or visit www.widebaywater.qld.gov.au
