Southeast Queensland water usage up, despite crippling drought

With two-thirds of Queensland grappling with drought, the southeast corner’s water habits leave much to be desired as restrictions loom.

CITY slickers are churning through more water than this time last year, and are on track to use more than at any other time this decade, in a slap in the face to the two-thirds of the state grappling with drought.

The Courier-Mail can reveal the gobsmacking data that shows southeast Queenslanders are using 15 litres of water more per person each day than the same time last year – flying in the face of calls to support the bush, including efforts to have fireworks and events cancelled or boycotted.

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At the height of summer in January this year, the southeast’s water consumption peaked at 239 litres per person per day – the highest since before the Millennium Drought, which ended in 2010.

Southeast Queenslanders are currently using 203 litres a day per person, compared with 188 litres at this time last year, sparking concerns the January record will be eclipsed if households don’t make an effort to start conserving water.

The shocking waste comes as dams supplying the southeast’s water grid fell below 60 per cent capacity this week for the first time in a decade, with residents warned to anticipate water restrictions by May next year.

Two-thirds of Queensland is now drought-declared after months of below-average rainfall.

The rapidly receding Storm King Dam at Stanthorpe. Communities across Queensland are running dangerously low on water, while southeast Queensland’s usage has increased in recent months. Picture: Lachie Millard

Southern Downs Mayor Tracy Dobie, whose region faces running out of water in weeks, said the shockingly high water usage showed how “lazy we have become with our water use”.

“We are the driest nation on earth, it’s time we acted like it,” she said.

“We were raised to be careful with water because we used to only have tank (water) because people have gotten lazy and we waste water.”

Residents of Samford and Dayboro, less than 30km from Brisbane, have been forced to truck in water as their dams and water tanks tap out.

Free water access points opened by Moreton Bay Regional Council have since provided one million litres of water to thirsty residents in the area and their livestock.

Faced with the prospect of water restrictions if the coming wet season fails, southeast Queensland’s water infrastructure operator has renewed calls for people to limit unnecessary water usage, and enacted the first phase of its Drought Response Plan.

“With a hot and dry summer expected, we are encouraging southeast Queenslanders to use this precious resource wisely,” an SEQ Water spokeswoman said.

“The combination of hot, dry conditions and little rainfall has seen water use increase across the region.”

“We are asking the community to voluntarily conserve water where they can.”

Southeast Queensland residents were being asked to conserve water or face water restrictions by May. Picture: File.

The Gold Coast desalination plant was this week tasked to operate at 100 per cent capacity as dams across southeast Queensland fell below the 60 per cent mark for the first time in a decade.

Even at full capacity however, the desalination plant can only provide 15 per cent of southeast Queensland’s daily water use.

Water restrictions are put in place once dam levels fall below 50 per cent.

Urban Utilities, which delivers water to 1.4 million residents in the southeast, said conservation could see water restrictions avoided.

“By being more waterwise, we can help delay and even potentially avoid the need for water

restrictions,” Urban Utilities spokeswoman Michelle Cull said.

She said shorter showers saved nine litres per minute, while using a pool cover could save up to 36,000 litres per year.