Seqwater

Last updated

Seqwater
SEQ Water logo.png
Wivenhoe dam wall.jpg
The dam spillway gates of Wivenhoe Dam, an asset of seqwater
Statutory authority overview
Formed1 July 2008 (2008-07-01)
Preceding agencies
Jurisdiction South East Queensland
Headquarters Ipswich, Queensland, Australia
MottoWater for Life
Annual budgetA$1,800 million
Ministers responsible
Statutory authority executives
  • David Hamill, Chairman
  • Neil Brennan, Chief Executive Officer
Parent department Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy
Key document
Website seqwater.com.au

Seqwater is a statutory authority of the Government of Queensland that provides bulk water storage, transport and treatment, water grid management and planning, catchment management and flood mitigation services to the South East Queensland region of Australia. [1] Seqwater also provides irrigation services to about 1,200 rural customers in the region that are not connected to the grid and provides recreation facilities. [2]

Contents

Seqwater was established on 1 July 2008 pursuant to the South East Queensland Water (Restructuring) Act 2007 (QLD) alongside three other statutory authorities: Linkwater, the SEQ Water Grid Manager and WaterSecure. Since that time Seqwater has retained its bulk water storage and treatment, catchment management and flood mitigation assets and functions while acquiring additional assets and functions in two tranches:

Seqwater is managed by a chief executive who reports to a Board of Management that are ultimately responsible to the Minister for Regional Development and Manufacturing, and Minister for Water, presently Glenn Butcher and the Queensland Treasurer and Minister for Investment, presently Cameron Dick. The Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy and Queensland Treasury provides administrative oversight of the statutory authority. [3]

Background and functions

The formation of Seqwater was part of the reform of water supply arrangements by the Queensland Government that commenced in 2007. As part of these reforms an integrated approach to catchment-sourced management across the South East Queensland region was adopted with the expectation that this approach would help to ensure the long term security and sustainability of the region's catchment-based water supply.

Initially, Seqwater was established to manage bulk water facilities in the region, a function previously managed by 25 different local government, state government and corporate entities. [4] Seqwater is responsible for 25 dams (including Wivenhoe Dam, Somerset Dam and North Pine Dam, Hinze Dam on the Gold Coast, and Baroon Pocket Dam on the Sunshine Coast), which provide as much as 90 per cent of South East Queensland’s drinking water supply. In addition, Seqwater owns 47 weirs, as well as operating 46 water treatment plant facilities and 14 groundwater borefields across South East Queensland.

Seqwater is also responsible for a range of new water infrastructure projects and initiatives, including raising the dam wall of the Hinze Dam on the Gold Coast (completed in 2011 [5] ), working with the Department of Infrastructure and Planning on the design phase of the Wyaralong Water Treatment Plant, and the fluoridation of the region’s drinking water supply.

It currently manages more than $10 billion worth of water supply assets, including 600 kilometres of bulk water pipelines connecting the water grid from the Sunshine Coast in the north to the Gold Coast in the south, the Western Corridor Recycling Scheme and the Gold Coast Desalination Plant. [1]

On 6 July 2015 Seqwater released Water for life, a 30 year plan outlining measures to ensure a secure water supply for South East Queensland over the period to 2045. [6]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hinze Dam</span> Dam in South East Queensland

The Hinze Dam is a rock and earth-fill embankment dam with an un-gated spillway across the Nerang River in the Gold Coast hinterland of South East, Queensland, Australia. The main purpose of the dam is for potable water supply of the Gold Coast region. The impounded reservoir is called Advancetown Lake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wivenhoe Dam</span> Dam in South East Queensland

The Wivenhoe Dam is a rock and earth-fill embankment dam with a concrete spillway across the Brisbane River in South East Queensland, Australia. The dam takes it names from the local Wivenhoe Pocket rural community. The dam wall is located about 80 kilometres (50 mi) by road from the centre of Brisbane. The primary purpose of the dam is the supply of potable water for the Brisbane and Ipswich regions. The dam also provides for flood mitigation control, hydroelectricity, and recreation. The impounded reservoir is called Lake Wivenhoe and the dam, the lake and a narrow strip of surrounding land forms a locality also called Lake Wivenhoe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leslie Harrison Dam</span> Dam in South East Queensland

The Leslie Harrison Dam is an earth-fill embankment dam across the Tingalpa Creek that is located in the South East region of Queensland, Australia. The main purpose of the dam is for potable water supply of the Redland City in Brisbane. The impounded reservoir is called Tingalpa Reservoir. The dam was named after Robert Leslie Harrison, a Queensland parliamentarian who died in April 1966.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Pine Dam</span> Dam in South East Queensland

The North Pine Dam is a mass concrete gravity dam with earth-fill embankments on abutments with a gated spillway across the North Pine River that is located in the South East region of Queensland, Australia. The main purpose of the dam is for supply of potable water for the Moreton Bay region and Brisbane's northern suburbs. The impounded reservoir is called Lake Samsonvale.

Brisbane Water was a former government business enterprise of the Brisbane City Council, a local government authority with administrative responsibility for the City of Brisbane, Queensland, in Australia. Brisbane Water was responsible for the distribution of reticulated potable water throughout Brisbane, as well as the treatment and transport of bulk water to the local government areas of Brisbane City, Ipswich City, Logan City, Redcliffe City, Pine Rivers Shire and Caboolture Shire. Brisbane Water operated the city's reticulated sewerage network and associated treatment plants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Nerang Dam</span> Dam in South East Queensland

The Little Nerang Dam is a concrete gravity dam with an un-gated spillway across the Little Nerang Creek that is located in the South East region of Queensland, Australia. The main purpose of the dam is for potable water supply of the Gold Coast region. The impounded reservoir is also called Little Nerang Dam. The dam was closed to the public in 2013 due to safety concerns.

The Gold Coast Desalination Plant is a 125 ML/d reverse osmosis, water desalination plant located in Bilinga, a seaside suburb of the Gold Coast, in Queensland, Australia. It supplies water to the South East Queensland region via the South East Queensland Water Grid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wappa Dam</span> Dam in South East Queensland

The Wappa Dam is a mass concrete gravity arch dam with earth-fill abutments and an un-gated spillway across the South Maroochy River that is located in the South East region of Queensland, Australia. The main purpose of the dam is for supply of potable water for the Sunshine Coast region. The impounded reservoir is also called Wappa Dam. The dam and most of the reservoir are within Kiamba with the most northerly part of the reservoir in Cooloolabin, both in the Sunshine Coast Region.

The Poona Dam is an earth-fill embankment dam with a toe drain with an un-gated spillway across a tributary of the South Maroochy River in Kureelpa, Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. The main purpose of the dam is for storage of potable water for the Sunshine Coast region. The impounded reservoir is also called Poona Dam.

The Ewen Maddock Dam is an earth-fill embankment dam with an un-gated spillway across the Addlington Creek that is located in Landsborough in the South East region of Queensland, Australia. The main purpose of the dam is for potable water supply of the Sunshine Coast region.

The Cedar Grove Weir is a weir located across the Logan River in the South East region of Queensland, Australia. The main purpose of the weir is for potable water storage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wyaralong Dam</span> Dam in South East Queensland

The Wyaralong Dam is a mass concrete gravity dam with an un-gated spillway across the Teviot Brook that is located in the South East region of Queensland, Australia. The main purpose of the dam is for supply of potable water for the Scenic Rim region. The dam was initiated by the Queensland Government in 2006 as a result of the prolonged Millennium drought which saw the catchment areas of South East Queensland's dams receive record low rain. It was completed in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Corridor Recycled Water Scheme</span>

The Western Corridor Recycled Water Scheme, a recycled water project, is located in the South East region of Queensland in Australia. The scheme is managed by Seqwater and forms a key part of the SEQ Water Grid constructed by the Queensland Government in response to population growth, climate change and severe drought. The A$2.5 billion project is reported as the largest recycled water project in Australia. As of 2019, the scheme has been constructed and its performance has been validated. It remains in care and maintenance mode, and will commence operation after SEQ Water Grid dam levels reach 60%.

The Queensland Water Commission (QWC) is a defunct Queensland Government agency established to develop long term water supply strategies. The Commission was chaired by Mary Boydell and the chief executive officer was John Bradley.

As Australia's supply of freshwater is increasingly vulnerable to droughts, possibly as a result of climate change, there is an emphasis on water conservation and various regions have imposed restrictions on the use of water.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SEQ Water Grid</span>

The SEQ Water Grid is a region-wide, long term, water supply scheme that provides a sustainable water infrastructure network for the South East region of Queensland, Australia. The project was the largest urban response to the drought in Australia, which severely affected water supplies in Brisbane and surrounds, particularly between 2004 and 2007. The basic component of the project was a 535-kilometre (332 mi) network of potable bulk water pipelines that connect areas that have an oversupply of water to those areas lacking water. The project went online in October 2008 and by November 2008 parts of the region were receiving a diversified supply of water for the first time.

Urban Utilities (UU) is the trading name of the Central SEQ Distributor-Retailer Authority, a statutory authority of the Government of Queensland that is responsible for the delivery of retail water supply and wastewater services across five local government areas in South East Queensland, in Australia. The shareholders of the statutory authority are the councils of Brisbane, Ipswich, Lockyer Valley, Scenic Rim, and Somerset.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LinkWater</span> Trading Name

LinkWater, the trading name of the Queensland Bulk Water Transport Authority, a former statutory authority of the Government of Queensland was in operation between 2008 and 2012. During this period, the authority was responsible for the management, operation and maintenance of potable bulk water pipelines and related infrastructure throughout South East Queensland, in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SEQ Water Grid Manager</span>

The SEQ Water Grid Manager, a former statutory authority of the Government of Queensland, was in operation between 2008 and 2012. During this period, the agency was responsible for managing the strategic operation of the SEQ Water Grid, including issues such as water security and water quality for the region in a cost-effective manner, while balancing the needs of the community and the environment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WaterSecure</span> Water company in Queensland

WaterSecure, the trading name of the Queensland Manufactured Water Authority, was a statutory authority of the Government of Queensland that supplied water to the South East Queensland region of Australia through its desalination plant and a water recycling scheme, the Western Corridor Recycled Water scheme. WaterSecure was merged with Seqwater on 1 July 2011.

References

  1. 1 2 "About us | Seqwater". www.seqwater.com.au. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  2. 1 2 "About us". Seqwater. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  3. "Governance". Seqwater. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
  4. "South East Queensland Water Strategy" (PDF). Queensland Water Commission (PDF). The State of Queensland. 2010. p. 24. ISSN   1836-5051 . Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  5. "Hinze Dam** | Seqwater". www.seqwater.com.au. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  6. "Water for life | Seqwater". www.seqwater.com.au. Retrieved 18 November 2016.