Ipswich City Council

Sustain - Future Water

Ipswich City is part of a region presently experiencing one of the fastest growing populations in Australia. Coupled with severe drought conditions, our prosperous and expanding city is faced with a number of challenges relating to securing a sustainable and affordable water supply into the future.

Ipswich Water is currently working in collaboration with the Queensland Government, SEQ Water and other local governments to implement a regional drought strategy and a long term solution to protect our future water.

Water for South East Queensland - A Long Term Solution

South East Queensland Regional Water Supply Strategy (SEQRWSS)

Latest News

The Queensland Government has recently announced major changes for South East Queensland's urban water industry.

These proposed changes are based on a report released by the Queensland Water Commission, outlining a number of structural and regulatory reforms.

The key features of this restructure appear to be the following:

the State Government will be accountable for water security and ensuring water supplies across the region. It will also control the key Water Grid Assets (bulk supply and trapnsort) and play the role of Water Grid Manager;
grouping of all bulk supply assets with water and wastewater treatment assets;
amalgamation of dams and groundwater infrastructure, water treatment plants and wastewater treatment plants;
desalination plant and Western Corridor Recycled Water Project (WCRWP) to be owned by the State as stand alone entities;
establishment of a Water Grid Manager to manage water sharing across the region;
consolidation of council retail businesses from 17 to 3 in line with the outcomes of the local government boundary reviews;
separation of bulk transport and distribution assets in separate entities from the remainder of the water supply system;
establishment of a single distribution business owning all the water reticulation, service pipes, meters and sewerage reticulation in the region;
establsihment of a retail structure providing a platform for the potential introduction of retail competition across the SEQ region between the aggregated licnsed retailers (to be three) and potential new retail entrants;
all stormwater assets to remain with councils;
establishment of an asset management regulatory regime where all asset owners will be required to prepare asset mangement plans; and
the State Government to enter into separate agreements with individual councils to compensate for asset transfers.

For more information, visit the Queensland Water Commission.

Last Updated 3 Apr 2008 |

Print this page |