Urban water risks

The department has been assessing the risks and challenges Queensland’s 67 regional and remote water service providers (primarily local governments) face in delivering drinking water and sewerage services outside Southeast Queensland.

The four general areas associated with water and sewerage services are:

• water quality
• water security
• sewerage continuity
• service delivery.

With an understanding of potential risks, local governments can advance improvements by:

• developing targeted mitigation strategies through action plans that progressively mitigate the risks identified
• planning for long-term water and sewerage investment
• making informed decisions about where to prioritise efforts
• identifying future needs and priority areas.

Working in partnership

The Queensland Government’s commitment to support local governments improve water and sewerage services is strengthened by the principles and partnership responsibilities outlined in the Equal Partners in Government Agreement 2025.

The department has been successfully partnering with local governments and industry on initiatives to mitigate known statewide risks to water and sewerage delivery. These existing initiatives include:

• undertaking regional water security planning to enhance preparedness and resilience of supply to meet future demands
• undertaking regional water assessments to identify opportunities for economic growth in our regions through understanding local water needs now and in the future
• fostering regional collaboration and enhancing council access to capability training and joint procurement opportunities via the Queensland Water Regional Alliances Program
• offering project management, peer review and technical support to assist councils with their critical infrastructure needs
• assisting local governments in accessing funding for critical infrastructure projects in regional areas where possible.

Support for local governments

The Queensland Government recently secured funding to deliver drinking water infrastructure upgrades for Indigenous local governments, including:

• $8 Million each for Aurukun and Kowanyama in Cape York
• $18 million for Woorabinda west of Rockhampton, which has been matched with funding provided by the Australian Government.

The Queensland Government has also partnered with the Australian Government to co-fund:

• $6 million for Wujal Wujal water infrastructure upgrades
• $10 million for Northern Peninsula Area water supply project
• $9 million for Doomadgee water supply project
• $1.937 million for Dajarra water security
• $25.6 million for Cherbourg water quality improvement project
• $6 million for Mornington Island water supply project.

Funding for local government water and sewerage services has also been boosted with:

• permanent funding through the Works for Queensland Program
• funding through the Residential Activation Fund for trunk infrastructure like water and sewerage to support housing growth, administered by the Department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning.

More information

Queensland’s urban water explorer is an interactive digital tool that allows providers and customers to explore, visualise and compare data provided by urban water and sewerage service providers.