The state government will force Logan City Council to pass on increased water costs to ratepayers over the next 10 years, as it increases the bulk water charges paid by Council.
Under a new pricing structure presented by the Queensland Water Commission this week, Logan households will pay up to an extra $300 for water each year by 2012/13 for bulk water supplied by the state government through its Water Grid Manager (which starts from 1 July 2008).
In 2008/09, the average annual bill will increase by $65, an increase of $1.25 a week for an average household, according to the QWC's figures.
Logan Mayor, Councillor Pam Parker, Governance, Finance and Water Committee Chairperson, Councillor Luke Smith and fellow Councillors have labelled the pricing structure unfair and unnecessarily complex.
Under the structure, all Councils in South East Queensland will not pay the same amount for bulk water to the Water Grid Manager until 2017/18. Some Councils, including Logan, will pay significantly higher bulk prices than their neighbouring Councils prior to that.
Cr Parker said "postage stamp pricing" should be implemented much sooner, where Councils in South East Queensland paid the same amount for water whether they lived in Logan, Gold Coast or Brisbane.
"We don't believe we should pay different rates than other Councils for our water. We all rely on water to live our daily lives; it's an important resource and should be managed from a regional perspective."
Cr Smith said Logan had suffered over recent years because the City did not have its own dam or other water source.
"It has simply cost more to get the water to us than other areas. Logan has been further away from any major water source and transporting the water to Logan has always been an issue," Cr Smith said. "Poor infrastructure planning on a regional basis by the state government means our residents will pay more for their water than they should have to. It has been taken out of our control.
"The boundaries for each Council area are just lines on a map, they're not physical barriers. People who live in Beenleigh, for example, should not pay more for their water than Yatala residents do, just because they're living in a different local government authority.
"The water will soon be coming through a water grid, connecting all of South East Queensland. Logan will be receiving water from at least four different sources, and in terms of the water grid, is now more centrally located.
"We are asking the QWC to consider this aspect in more detail and take into account the recent and proposed changes in supply sources in determining future pricing. The water grid is supposed to be our insurance policy. If it's an insurance policy for all residents, then ideally we should all be paying the same premium," Cr Smith said.