Water and Sewerage Usage Price Freeze for Moreton Bay

Unitywater has frozen its water and sewerage usage charges for the seventh consecutive year as part of its ongoing commitment to keeping customers’ bills as low as possible.

Unitywater Chairman Michael Arnett said this means customers in Moreton Bay will see a $5 reduction in Unitywater’s part of the bill.

“Unitywater froze all water and sewerage charges last year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and water and sewerage usage charges were frozen for five consecutive years prior to that,” said Mr Arnett.

“Our priority is maintaining high-quality, safe and reliable services for our customers, while working to keep bills low for these essential services.”

While Unitywater’s part of the bill will go down this year, the average Moreton Bay customer will still pay about $10 (0.6%) more, which is due to a 3.5% increase, or $15 per annum increase, in the State Government bulk water price. State Government bulk water charges are passed through to Unitywater customers at cost.

The average 2021-22 bill for a Moreton Bay residential household (using 139kL per year or 380L per day) will be $1,599 up from $1,589 in 2020-21.

Usage charges on the average customer’s bill are about 39%, which gives customers more power when it comes to lowering their bill by reducing consumption.

Unitywater Chief Executive Officer George Theo said the utility continues to support customers during the ongoing uncertainty of COVID-19 and the impacts of the pandemic.

“We encourage customers who may have trouble paying their bill to contact us as soon as possible so that we can help them,” Mr Theo said.

Over the next five years, Unitywater will invest close to $1 billion in water and sewerage infrastructure across their service region.

Mr Theo said the utility continues to invest in the network, focussing on sustainable outcomes for the community while working to keep prices low for customers.

“Unitywater plans to invest $229 million on its water supply and sewerage infrastructure during 2021-22, he said.

“Some of the water and sewerage network investment will be directed to projects accommodating growth, including emerging communities like Caboolture West.”

“This year, more than one third (34%) of the capital investment will go towards renewing infrastructure to ensure our current assets perform at the standards required to meet customers’ needs.

The 2021-22 prices come into effect on 1 July 2021 and full details can be found at www.unitywater.com/pricing