4 NOV 2006 

By TORY WALKER

CALOUNDRA could become a beacon for water-saving practices under a world first plan to make developers pay to protect the city’s water supply.

With 70,000 people expect­ed to settle there within 20 years and the Beattie govern­ment seemingly intending to tap into the Baroon Pocket Dam, water has become a fiercely protected commodity in Caloundra. 

This week Councillor An­drew Champion declared council had taken an uncom­promising stance on future growth by promising to force developers to pay to retrofit existing homes with rainwa­tar tanks and other water-saving devices.

Calling it the “no loss of ca­pacity” proposal, Mr Cham­pion said the concept would make developers pay to help save water in established re­sidential areas, in return for the water used in new estates they plan to build in the fu­ture.

“We’ve set a benchmark that doesn’t exist anywhere in the world and it means if 70,000 new people are going to be part of development at Caloundra Downs say, and developers want to use a me­ga litre of water per day for those new homes out of the Baroon Pocket Dam then they’ve got to supply free rainwater tanks so the total amount of water being used does not significantly impact print for water sustainabiity, on supply levels,” he said. 

Mr Champion has been critical of the State Government’s support for rainwater tanks labeling their policy “tokenistic” because subsidies had failed to encourage a large take-up by homeowners.

Moreover, he said the blueprint for water sustainability, which he plans to present to colleagues at next week’s council meeting can only really combat drought effectively if it is adopted by all South-east Queensland councils.

If not, he felt Caloundra homeowners. could be in danger of becoming an “oasis in a desert”.

“You imagine if 80% of properties in South-east Queensland all had free rain water tanks, then you wouldn’t need the Traveston Dam anymore,” Mr Cham­pion said.

“You’ve got a million more independent little dams and if their pumps are solar-po­wered then you’re genuinely sustainable.”

Mr Champion said deve­lopers had agreed to provide the infrastructure under Cal­oundra’s growth plan and he hoped his proposal would al­so receive support from the state government.