Dam cheek of Brisbane
Coast told to save water despite our reservoirs being full
GOLD Coasters are being warned to save water despite more than 120mm expected to smash the region this weekend and our two dams being at capacity.
The warnings come not to preserve the Gold Coast water supply but to ensure our northern neighbours are not parched.
The first warning shot came from Gold Coast Water director Paul Heaton at a Gold Coast City Council water and waste committee meeting earlier this week.
“There are discussions about moving into drought and water efficiencies again if we don’t have a change in rainfall,” he said.
The comment came on a day when storms lashed the region and Acting Mayor Donna Gates reminded Gold Coasters to stay safe during the wet weather.
It was clear it was not the Gold Coast water levels caus- ing the concern. Water and waste committee chairman Paul Taylor said the region had been “pretty well droughtfree” since the grid system had been introduced.
“In other words we can get water pumped if need be from Brisbane and the Wivenhoe Dam,” he said. “We are virtually OK.” Cr Taylor said if worst came to worst the Tugun desalination plant could be used to pump water back into the grid.
That same grid system does mean that if need be, Brisbane and other areas in southeast Queensland can pump water from the Hinze Dam and the Nerang Dam on the Gold Coast.
The entire grid’s capacity is at about 70 per cent.
A council spokeswoman said the water and waste department had met regularly with SEQwater to monitor the region’s water supplies.
“Although the recent rain- WHAT’S old is new again and that is exactly what mother-oftwo Kate Deithe is banking on.
The Runaway Bay woman spends her time looking through op shops for pieces to enhance her vintage tea parties, which she has turned into a business.
Mrs Deithe’s Little Girl Blue has blossomed since she styled a vintage birthday gathering for her daughter Esme a year ago. The party was such a success bookings flooded in.
Since then Mrs Deithe has set up vintage hen’s parties, 30th birthdays, teddy bear picnics, bridal and baby showers and a plethora of date nights.
Mrs Deithe said she was busy juggling motherhood and the business, but it was worth it.
“It has really taken off,” she said. “It started as a hobby.
“I have a big stash of vintage items – they are not lookalikes from (department) stores.”
Mrs Deithe believed her social media following and setting up parties in popular parks were integral reasons for her success.
Prices start from $200. fall is a welcome relief, and there are no immediate plans to introduce water restrictions, residents are strongly encouraged to use water wisely,” she said.
The warning comes ahead of SEQwater chiefs’ plans to release water-saving tips later this month while a review of the water supply program and drought-readiness is finished.
It will be the first time water-saving advice has been given since the drought be- tween 2001 and 2009 when severe water restrictions were placed across the state.
Queensland has been experiencing significantly low rainfalls with the usual summer rain noticeably absent.
More than 80 per cent of the state is drought-declared with the Gold Coast one of the few areas not included.
The start of 2017 has been particularly dry for the region.
The Gold Coast received about 42 per cent of the longterm average rainfall to the end of February and temperatures were at least a degree above average for summer.