Channels of thought on water use

THE former chair of the Townsville

City Council’s Water and Waste Committee, Councillor Paul Jacobs, will enjoy significant support from residents regarding his call to ease water restrictions.

He wants the local authority to give residents permission to water with sprinklers between 6 and 8am so as to ease water pressure problems that occur when residents are watering during the current permitted hours of 6 and 8pm.

Cr Jacobs argues the current restrictions don’t allow residents to use their allocation.

With the Ross River Dam now at 66 per cent capacity, not easing restrictions flies in the face of the council’s own policy, which says there should be no restrictions should the dam be above 40 per cent.

However, Acting Mayor Les Walker says the council is working with its experts to balance preserving water with the freedom to do what they need to, such as wash cars, use sprinklers twice weekly and hand water at any time.

Since breaking ranks with Mayor Jenny Hill’s election team, Cr Jacobs has found himself as the sole oppositional voice on the council.

The diversity of opinion is muchneeded as robust debate leads to better transparency, accountability and decision making.

Water in this city is undoubtedly a political football.

However, Cr Jacobs may have scored a political own goal by suggesting there should be a user pays system in place when the new Haughton Pipeline is operational.

Cr Walker says it’s a major position shift for Cr Jacobs who once helped organise protests against a similar regime because of the cost impost it would have on residents.

In coming days in these opinion pages we’ll surely see the community’s response to the differing approaches.