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| NOT HAPPY: About 70 per cent of the water bill of Leo and Veronica Barraclough consists of fixed charges. Pic: Jamie HansonSource: The Sunday Mail (Qld) |
RESIDENTS who forked out on rainwater tanks during the worst of the drought have found themselves powerless to escape skyrocketing water bills.
Rainwater tank owners who heeded the State Government's call to save water by buying taxpayer-subsidised water tanks say they are being stung by rising fixed fees and questionable water meter readings, making their water conservation efforts futile.
Some residents spent tens of thousands of dollars drought-proofing their properties only to be hit by rising fixed water and sewerage access fees.
The fees comprise up to 70 per cent of some water bills, meaning residents face hefty charges regardless of whether they saved mains water by installing tanks.
Residents are being hit with annual water and sewerage fees of $626.50 in Brisbane, about $900 in Caboolture and $848 on the Gold Coast.
Even without sewerage fees, southeast Queenslanders who slash their water usage must still pay an annual access fee of up to $330 a year.
Cash-strapped pensioners Leo and Veronica Barraclough, from Bribie Island, north of Brisbane, thought they would be making significant savings on their water bill after installing an 1100 litre rainwater tank.
They now use just $50 worth of mains water a quarter, but their water bill has remained almost the same because of fixed access fees charged by Unitywater, with the fees making up 70 per cent of their total bill.
"There is nothing else that we know we can do," Mr Barraclough said.
A Unitywater spokeswoman said it was reviewing its price structure to create a fairer and more transparent set of fees, with more emphasis on user-pays.
Gold Coast resident Paul Wiseman is in dispute with water utility Allconnex Water over his $1187 water bill, after he spent more than $10,000 installing two rainwater tanks with a combined capacity of 14,000 litres at his Miami home.
"It is extremely disheartening for the average bloke to go to the extent that I did putting in tanks and making a sustainable home only to be kicked in the teeth by bureaucracy and all these extra charges," he said.
Gold Coast protest group Disconex has opened fire on Allconnex boss Kim Wood, alleging not all water meters were read and residents were overcharged.
High fixed fees are also driving up other household costs, such as gas bills, with fixed charges making up between 60-70 per cent of bills.
A spokeswoman for Allconnex Water said out of 144,625 meters on the Gold Coast, only 736 meters could not be read.
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