State Infrastructure Plan

Water
Future opportunities–medium/long-term
Opportunity 7
Facilitate more efficient use of existing water resources
and infrastructure assets and optimise access through
continued expansion of water trading and flexible water
sharing arrangements across the state.
Opportunity 9
Maximise the use of alternative water sources
and supplies, such as treated industrial water.
Opportunity 8
Leverage infrastructure innovation and water
conservation by encouraging the take-up of
technology such as:
alternative water use technologies for stormwater
and water recycling, including smart systems that
prevent run-off and treat water for fit-for-purpose
reuse opportunities
advanced water technologies to recycle and reuse
water locally, and reduce the energy used to
transport water
solutions for sewage treatment plants to generate
energy, rather than just using it
water supply to on-site energy generation solutions
modular, mobile and low-cost water supply and
sewage management infrastructure.
Case study Mackay Regional Council’s
Smart Metering Technology
Smart meter technology is helping the occupants of
35,000 households across the Mackay region to save
water and money by monitoring their consumption in
real-time via mobile phones and computers.
Developed by Taggle Systems Pty Ltd and adopted,
installed and expanded by the Mackay Regional
Council after a pilot program in 2011, the automated
meter reading (AMR) devices are fitted to water
meters. The devices relay hourly consumption data
back to a central database for analysis and decision
making.
The data, analysed using algorithms developed by
Mackay Regional Council, is then made available to
individual consumers via a specialised website,
www.myh2o.qld.gov.au. It can be accessed using
personal technology such as tablets and smart
phones. The site also facilitates a set of alerts which
can notify consumers of leaks and high consumption
via SMS and emails.
According to recent data, over 500 leaks are being
detected every month across the region.
Smart meter technology has proven to be a
valuable tool in Mackay Regional Council’s demand
management program, which is currently in its third
year. The program has delivered around 10 per cent
reduction in consumption, which in turn has helped
the council to significantly defer planned capital
expenditure on capacity expansion.
This technology is being expanded to remotely
monitor several other items such as sewer manholes,
storm water levels, rainfall, and soil moisture. This
project, along with other initiatives currently being
deployed, will form the basis for Mackay’s Smart City
initiative.
The Smart Metering Technology was named as a
finalist at the Premier’s 2014 Sustainability Awards.
64 State Infrastructure Plan Part B: Program