Mind-boggling amount of water wasted in Mackay
EXCLUSIVE: Report reveals annual water volume wasted far surpasses previous estimate of 38 Olympic swimming pools
Mackay
Don't miss out on the headlines from Mackay. Followed categories will be added to My News.
MACKAY residents and businesses wasted enough water over the past financial year to fill about 109 Olympic swimming pools of water or 91 Bluewater Lagoons.
A report requested by the Daily Mercury reveals more than 272 million litres of water leaked from residential homes and businesses from July 2019 to June 2020.
The initial estimate, pulled from data in last month's meeting agenda, was only about a third of that amount.
>> Read more: 38 Olympic swimming pools of water wasted each year
The MRC Engineering and Commercial Infrastructure report released to the Daily Mercury on Friday stated the average leak rate across Mackay over the past financial year was 48L per hour.
More stories:
Parents fired up at major changes to popular Bluewater Lagoon
$74,500 gift to Mackay community groups in need
Eungella Rainforest wonders 'would meet UNESCO standard'
Customers took an average of nine days to repair a leak, but for continuing leaks - aka those which continue longer than a month - the time taken to fix the leak was an average of 60 days, the report stated.
Subscriber benefits:
Join us for morning tea: Your chance to win a tablet
Five ways to get more from your digital subscription
WATCH: Your guide to reading the Daily Mercury online
ECI director Jason Devitt said it was important leaks were fixed "sooner rather than later".
"A dripping tap may seem like a slight nuisance, but it can actually waste between 27 and 198 litres of water per day, which is a lot of water and money going down the drain," Mr Devitt said.
"I encourage everyone to sign up to council's free myh2o website (myh2o.qld.gov.au).
"Not only are you sent regular water leak notifications, you can also see how much water you're using each day and how much it's costing you, so there will be no water bill surprises."
Mackay sale and auction results, week ending February 1
See the latest auction and sales results in Mackay for last week.
‘Happiest man on Earth’: Beloved dad, newspaper identity, mourned
A Qld newspaper stalwart of more than 40 years has been remembered as a loved family man and mate after his tragic death while realising his retirement dreams.