myh2o website can save you costly water bills

Published: 12 May 2020

Water bills will begin trickling into mail boxes from this week.

The latest round of water notices, issued this week, are for the billing period from September to March.

This first part of the billing period covers what is typically the driest time of year for our region, prompting high water usage.

Engineering and Commercial Infrastructure director Jason Devitt said residents should always be mindful of how much water they are using.

“The biggest consumers of water in our region are watering the lawn and garden, in the bathroom and water leaks,” Mr Devitt said.

“Even though recent rainfall has been great for the region, residents shouldn’t become complacent.

“We should all be looking for ways to save water and manage this precious resource as best we can” he said.

One Salonika Beach couple will be breathing a sigh of relief when they open their water bill after being alerted to a potentially costly water leak.

Frank and Heather Bischoff have been registered on council’s free myh2o website for three years and are grateful for the service.

Mr Bischoff said on April 16 he received a text message alerting him to a 20 litres-per-hour leak on their property.

“I replaced some fittings, but the leak was still there. Eventually I broke through concrete close to my house and discovered the leak coming from copper pipe through concrete foundation. The tee piece had been dislodged,” he said.

Mr Bischoff said he believed an earthquake, which shook the region at 5pm on April 15, had caused the leak.

“I had felt the tremor all through our house on that afternoon. The first leak alert came through at 9am the next morning.

“I absolutely encourage everyone to hop online and sign-up to the myh2o website. It’s simple to do and could save you hundreds of dollars.”

Mr Devitt said the myh20 website was the best way residents could track their water usage and avoid expensive water bills.

“As well as alerting you to leaks, the myh2o website shows you how much water you’re using each day, how much it’s costing you and how you can put plans in place to save,” he said.

“You can also set water consumption targets and if you go over you are sent a message via email or SMS.”

More than 15,000 residents have signed up to council’s award-winning website.

You can sign up at myh2o.qld.gov.au, over the phone on 1300 MACKAY (622 529) or in person at any one of council’s Client Service Centres.

If anyone is having difficulty paying their water bill, they should contact council online or by phoning 1300 MACKAY (622 529).

All water notices are due on June 17.