South East Queensland bulk water service provider and prices

Urban bulk water prices for South East Queensland (SEQ) are set by the Queensland Government based on recommendations from the state's independent economic regulator, the Queensland Competition Authority (QCA).

The 5 SEQ council-owned water businesses are charged these prices by Seqwater.

Bulk water supplier

Seqwater, the bulk water supplier for SEQ, manages water supply assets and the natural catchments of the region's major water supply sources. This includes dams, weirs, conventional water treatment plants and climate resilient sources of water from the Gold Coast Desalination Plant and the Western Corridor Recycled Water Scheme.

Seqwater also owns and operates a 600km reverse flow pipeline network enabling drinking water to be transported throughout SEQ as needed providing an important level of water security for SEQ households and businesses.

Bulk water supply code

Learn more about the Bulk water supply code (PDF, 260KB).

Setting bulk water prices in SEQ

The SEQ bulk water price charged by Seqwater is set by the Queensland Government based on recommendations from the QCA. The government directs the QCA to investigate and recommend to the government bulk water prices, which will provide Seqwater with sufficient revenue to recover the costs of providing treated bulk drinking water through its extensive network of dams, water treatment plants and pipelines.

The QCA review ensures that Seqwater is operating as efficiently as possible and bulk water prices are fair and as low as possible.

In 2025, the Queensland Government decided to defer the next QCA review by 2 years. New QCA-recommended SEQ bulk water prices will be available from 1 July 2028. This decision allows the government to incorporate the outcomes of several key strategic activities that will have a significant impact on future bulk water prices. These include:

• updating the water security program to ensure the long-term sustainability of SEQ’s water supply
• reviewing water sources for SEQ, including exploring new dam options to enhance water security
• optimising SEQ water grid operations to improve efficiency, reliability, and cost-effectiveness.

Deferring the review allows the findings of these critical investigations to be considered in the QCA’s next pricing review. This evidence-based approach ensures future prices are informed by the most up-to-date and comprehensive information.