Identified SEQ regions

1. Seqwater owns, manages and operates bulk water supply and water treatment assets throughout South East Queensland. SEQwater supplies treated drinking water for distribution throughout South East Queensland as well as raw water to other stakeholders. Seqwater is a significant business responsible for managing approximately $2 billion in water supply, water storages and treatment assets, and is committed to the long term sustainable management of these assets which protects and improves their environmental, social and financial values. Seqwater commenced operation on the 1 July 2008 as part of the broad water reform initiative by the State Government. Assets from a total of 15 entities have come together to form this new organisation.

3. Identified SEQ regions • Gold Coast City Council • Scenic Rim Regional Council (Beaudesert Shire Council) • Moreton Regional Council( Caboolture Pine Rivers, Redcliffe) • Sunshine Coast Regional Council (Noosa, Caloundra Maroochy) • Redland City Council • Logan City Council • Ipswich City Council • Brisbane City Council • Somerset Regional Council (Esk, Kilcoy)

4. The Catchment “A catchment is an area or basin of land bounded by natural high features such as hills or mountains from which all run-off water flows to a low point like a stream or river or the sea – like water in a bathtub flowing to the plug hole or water that falls on a roof flowing to a downpipe. So, under the influence of gravity, rain falling on the land flows from the top of the catchment through a network of waterways, from small gullies and streams and into larger rivers, to the ocean.”

6. For every person in south-east Queensland, understanding how our catchment works is very important because whether we live in the upper or lower parts of the catchment, we all have an effect on the health of our environment.

7. We are all connected by the waterways which flow from the mountains through the catchment to the ocean. • Water on our streets and in our backyards flows down into the stormwater drain, washes through the local creek and river and then out into the ocean.

8. Any rubbish you leave on the ground, animal droppings, all the used chemicals and oils, the excess fertilisers from your lawn or farm, will eventually flow into the ocean and harm our beautiful natural environment.

9. This shows the importance of the catchment in connecting us all and that we really are all in the same boat and what we do in our backyard affects the health of the waterways!

10. A large proportion of the waterway network in south-east Queensland is made of small gullies in the top or ‘upper’parts of the catchment. For much of the time, these are dry and not easily identifiable as important parts of waterways. However after rain, they become the drainage lines where rainfall run-off collects and eventually flows together to form the larger streams and rivers in the lower parts of the catchment.

11. In south-east Queensland these gullies, or ‘first order streams’ make up a very large proportion of the total length of waterways, approximately 7,500 km of a total waterway length of 16,000 km. Most of these smaller gully networks have been poorly managed in the past and have lost their native vegetation cover.

12. After Vegetation plays an important role in holding the soil in place, preventing gully erosion, particularly during heavy rainfall. The more protective vegetation cover these upstream gullies have, the greater the chance there will be of healthy waterways downstream Before

13. Water Treatment

14. Water Treatment

15. Renewable Energy Engineered To Make Water Supply Sustainable For The Sunshine Coast 3kW solar power generation system Hydro Electricity Generation Facility which has a maximum output of 324kW and generates 70kWh per megalitre of treated water when the dam is full.