Seqwater

This article is about the Queensland Government agency with responsibility for water storage and treatment in South East Queensland. For the water grid in the same region, see SEQ Water Grid.
Seqwater

The dam spillway gates of Wivenhoe Dam, an asset of seqwater
Statutory authority overview
Formed 1 July 2008 (2008-07-01)
Preceding agencies
Jurisdiction South East Queensland
Headquarters Ipswich, Queensland, Australia
Motto Water for Life
Annual budget A$1,800 million
Ministers responsible
  • Mark Bailey, Minister for Energy and Water Supply
  • Curtis Pitt, Treasurer and Minister for Employment and Industrial Relations and Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships
Statutory authority executives
  • Dan Hunt, Chairman
  • Peter Dennis, CEO
Parent department Department of Energy and Water Supply
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]

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 Energy and Water Supply, presently Mark Bailey and the Treasurer and Minister for Employment and Industrial Relations and Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships, presently Curtis Pitt. The Department of Energy and Water Supply 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.[6]

On 6 July 2015 Seawater 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.[7]

See also

References

  1. ↑ #. "About us | Seqwater". www.seqwater.com.au. Retrieved 2016-11-18.
  2. 1 2 "About us". Seqwater. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  3. ↑ "Governance". Seqwater. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  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 2016-11-18.
  6. ↑ #. "About us | Seqwater". www.seqwater.com.au. Retrieved 2016-11-18.
  7. ↑ #. "Water for life | Seqwater". www.seqwater.com.au. Retrieved 2016-11-18.
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