FEDERAL MP Andrew Laming has called on the state government to replace the Redlands Leslie Harrison Dam gates.
But dam owner SEQwater said it could not justify the $18 million cost in replacing them.
The gates were removed as part of an upgrade in 2014, lowering the water to the dam's original design level.
"Redlands enters the next decade with a brown, shallow, dead dam adding little to water security, nothing to the economy and even less to locals," Mr Laming said.
Mr Laming said the cost of upgrading the dam to accommodate gates was $17 million, less than a third of that which Labor had ripped from Redland Hospital's service since the last state election.
"I am struggling to understand the grand Labor plan of simultaneously ripping off our dam, our hospital and our roads. I am sure they will blame the LNP," he said.
Capalaba Labor MP Don Brown said the gate replacement process was started by the LNP under engineering advice, and was continued by the Palaszczuk government free of political interference.
"It's a decision by SEQwater, and that's the way it should be," he said.
The Redlands sources water from the dam, from North Stradbroke Island (Minjerribah), and the SEQwater grid.
The $24 million dam upgrade was to ensure the dam was safe.
Gates were installed in 1984 to increase capacity when the region was supplied only by the dam.
SEQwater said the extra capacity gained by fitting of gates would boost the grid by about 0.5 per cent.
It was equivalent to operating the Gold Coast desalination plant for seven to eight days.
SEQwater could not justify the additional cost which would have to be borne by water users.
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