Figures from water watchdog Ofwat show the level of leakage for the 24 water companies in England and Wales fell by 7 per cent last year from 3,550Ml/d (
megalitres per day) to 3,300Ml/d.
'However, water consumers still cannot afford a national water grid, either financially or environmentally.': Why the idea of a national grid is a damp squib:The cost of constructing a national grid costing up to pounds 15bn is equivalent to pounds 8m-14m per
megalitre per day.
The state government says a dam on the Mary River, which flows from Kenilworth through Maryborough into Tin Can Bay near Fraser Island, is needed to supply up to 70 000 extra
megalitres of water a year or 27 per cent of the additional water supply required by 2015.
'The National Consumer Council believes that the initial 50
megalitre threshold for competition for large users is set at the right level and should not be lowered at this early stage.'
Announcing the result, Tandou CEO Guy Kingwill said "the Company has successfully aggregated one of the largest and most diverse water entitlement portfolios in the southern connected Murray Darling Basin, totalling more than 84,000
megalitres and independently valued at $88 million."
He said Molepolole, Thamaga and Thebephatshwa faced water shortages, with the demand standing at 30.2
megalitres per day against a supply of 19.5
megalitres per day.
The most significant of these by volume is the Elan Valley bulk supply to Severn Trent Water, where Welsh Water exports more than 100,000
megalitres per year to Severn Trent, for it to supply its customers in Birmingham.
The Dwr Cymru Welsh Waterowned and managed reservoir complex in the Elan Vally holds a total of nearly 100,000
megalitres of water.
The plant will have a capacity to handle 12.5
megalitres of groundwater and subsurface water, collected over an area 4.5 hectares, with the additional capacity to desalinate 10
megalitres.