Water supply
Council is committed to ensuring that everyone in the region has access to high quality drinking water and continually invests in water infrastructure. Council sources water from the Fairbairn Dam, rivers, creeks and bores, either via an allocation through a water supply scheme or a water extraction licence.
Drinking water is tested regularly to ensure it complies with the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines and council has a set level of customer service standards for water supply and sewerage based on historical records.
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Water supply performance reports
The Queensland Water Supply Regulator performance report is an annual key performance indicator (KPI) report about council’s water utility service.
The KPI data includes:
- Number and capacity of treatment plants.
- Number of connected properties, storage capacity and network size.
- Volumes of water and sewerage treated.
- Costs and revenues of the water utility.
- Customer service records.
- Billing information to compare across service providers.
An information sheet, “Fact or Furphey KPI” is available from the Queensland Water Directorate.
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Management plan annual reports
These reports document the performance of the water quality and the implementation of actions detailed in the Drinking Water Quality Management Plan (DWQMP) required under the Water Supply (Safety and Reliability) Act.
It assists the regulator to determine compliance with the current approved DWQMP and provides a public report on the council’s management of drinking water.
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Regional water supply security assessment
In 2017, a partnership between the Department of Energy and Water Supply (DEWS) and council delivered a Regional Water Supply Security Assessment (RWSSA) to better understand the town’s current and future water supply challenges.
The Emerald RWSSA found that Emeralds’ urban water supply is reasonably secure. Demand will exceed council’s current water allocations in approximately 10 years, and will require additional water allocation to maintain water security.
See the full assessment below.
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Water sources by town
Town Water source Scheme/ licence Anakie Bore Water licence Bauhinia Artesian bore Water licence Blackwater Fairbairn Dam - Bedford Weir Nogoa Mackenzie scheme/ SunWater Bluff Fairbairn Dam - Bedford Weir Nogoa Mackenzie scheme/ SunWater Capella Capella Creek & Tieri pipeline Water licence Comet Comet River - Comet Weir Water licence Dingo Dingo/ Springton Creek Water licence Duaringa Dawson River Dawson Valley scheme/ SunWater Emerald Fairbairn Dam - Selma/ Emerald town weir Nogoa Mackenzie scheme/ SunWater Rolleston Comet River & semi-artesian bore Water licence Rubyvale Bore Water licence Sapphire Bore Water licence Springsure Semi-artesian bore Water licence Tieri Fairbairn Dam - Bedford Weir Nogoa Mackenzie scheme/ SunWater 
Water FAQ's
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Who tests the water?
Council’s environmental health team collects samples from the water treatment plant and other locations in the middle of the reticulation system (e.g. from households or parks). The samples are sent to the Queensland Government laboratories for independent testing and analysis.
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My water is discoloured, what should I do?
From time to time the water’s colour or appearance can change. Sometimes it can take on a yellow, rust or brown tint to almost black, other times it can appear milky white or blue. This is known as discoloured water.
If you have discoloured water, you should run the front garden tap into a bucket for up to 30 seconds to check the colour of the water. If it is not clear, repeat this half hourly until clear. Once the water in the front tap is clear, residents should clear the inside water lines. To do this, run the back garden tap into a bucket until the water is clear. Water collected during this process may be used on gardens.
If the water in the front tap does not improve after several repeats, or discoloured water occurs frequently, please call us on 1300 242 686.
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I've noticed a leak, what should I do?
Leaks occur from damaged pipes. If the leak is on your side of the water meter it is your responsibility to have it fixed. If it is on council’s side of the water meter please contact us on 1300 242 686 and we will have it fixed as soon as possible.
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