REMEMBER WHEN

THE Gold Coast was set to go it alone on water once more.

The city council was likely to ask the newly established water commission to make the Coast a separate region when it came to water, divorced from the rest of the southeast corner.

The council wanted to put its case to remain on Level 3 restrictions when the rest of the region moved to a tougher Level 4 regime.

It was the second time in a year the Mayor had mounted a determined push to free the Gold Coast from a water arrangement that tied the city in with the other southeast councils and a policy that dictated one in, all in, on tough restrictions. Behind council’s closed doors, Mayor Ron Clarke argued the Gold Coast had a strong case for remaining on more relaxed restrictions.

He told The Bulletin he believed the Coast should remain on Level 3.

“My personal belief is yes, we should be allowed to stay on Level 3,” he said.

“We have done our bit.”

The Bulletin understood a majority of councillors agreed with the Mayor but would meet again to rubberstamp the council’s plan before taking it to the water commissioner on September 11.

This latest bid for independence was sure once more to anger the rest of the region’s mayors.

For the previous year the Gold Coast had been at war with the rest of the southeast over its stance on water restrictions, including seeking hosing exemptions for the elderly. Cr Clarke questioned why the Gold Coast should have to go to tougher water restrictions while the Hinze Dam supply was near capacity.