Alison Sandy
May 07, 2008

QUEENSLAND Water Commission has threatened Brisbane City Council with fines of up to $125,000 for failing to comply with water restrictions.

Commission chief executive John Bradley said today the council was in breach of the Water Act because it had failed to implement level six restrictions - despite having more than six months to do so.

He has warned legal action will follow unless the council remedies the situation.

Lord Mayor Campbell Newman this week launched a scathing attack on the QWC, claiming restrictions were “unworkable” despite 13,000 excessive water users slipping through the net.

“The Lord Mayor has been aware since November last year and it’s disappointing we’re only finding out now that they’re saying it’s difficult to implement,” he said.

“They’re exposed to the penalties that apply under the Act.”

Cr Newman has called for the level of water used per day to be lifted from 800 to 1500 litres.

“They don’t consult, they don’t listen, they just do these things and expect others to pick up the pieces,” he said.

“The use of that power is starting to concern me greatly. It’s all over the shop.”

In a letter to Mr Bradley, Cr Newman said most of the 13,000 households using between 800 and 1500 litres qualified for exemptions.

“A far better use of resources would be to pursue those residents who flagrantly waste water, starting with households using more than 1500 litres a day.

“This would allow us to focus our efforts on a far more manageable and meaningful target of approximately 2000 households.”

Mr Bradley replied in a letter to Cr Newman yesteday saying the program was ensuring “fairness to the majority of the community that have been active water savers”.

He said the council had been consulted and modifications were made to make it easier to comply.

“The Commission remains signficantly concerned about the current water security situation in South East Queensland,” the letter said.

Opposition Leader Shayne Sutton said the plan would see the loss of 10 million litres of water down the drain every day.

“He’s sending a message to high water users that it’s acceptable to waste water and this is a slap in the face to those householders doing the right thing.”

Meanwhile, Cr Newman has opened the first of three suburban pools at Runcorn, promised during his first term in office.

Brisbane City Council will pay almost half of the $42 million required for the project, but claimed there would be less overall water consumption than several years ago.

“There’s some cutting edge technology that means these pools will only use about 30 per cent of what traditional pools around Brisbane will use,” he said.

Cr Newman said the council was also working to repair leaks and reduce water usage at existing pools.