A COUNCIL candidate has started a petition calling on the state government to allow recreation on Leslie Harrison Dam and restore its holding capacity.
Since Division 7 candidate Rowanne McKenzie put the petition to the state government last week, it has attracted about 1300 signatures.
Ms McKenzie said residents were dumbfounded in 2017 when the call was made not to reinstall the dam gates.
They had been taken out as part of upgrade works about three years earlier.
"Without the dam gates the holding capacity has been halved meanwhile Redland's population has grown to over 155,000," she said.
A Seqwater spokesperson told the Bulletin earlier this year that lowering water levels was an industry-accepted practice to manage the safety of dams.
"To return the previous water level we would need to raise the height of the dam wall by three metres and acquire neighbouring properties at a cost of over $18 million," the spokesperson said.
"Over the past decade or so the population living and working downstream of the dam has increased. Returning the gates and reinstating the former water supply level would create an unacceptable risk to the safety of downstream residents."
Since the dam gates were first installed, the Redlands had been connected to North Stradbroke Island and the south-east Queensland water grid.
Ms McKenzie said Seqwater was telling residents that every drop counted while allowing thousands of megalitres of drinking water to drain into Moreton Bay.
"Leslie Harrison Dam is connected to the SEQ water grid so it doesn't just supply Redland's residents with their water but is a water source for the wider south-east Queensland region," Ms McKenzie said.
"Is an additional $12 million too much to spend on water security for south-east Queensland and ease supply needs from the (North Stradbroke Island) aquifer?"
The Seqwater spokesperson said with gates on, the dam could store extra water for drinking supply, but this meant there was limited space available to temporarily store extra water during a flood event.
The petition also called to allow non-motorised recreational use on the dam.
"Seqwater have told locals that Leslie Harrison Dam is a small shallow dam so will not permit any recreational use," Ms McKenzie said.
"At its halved holding capacity, the dam holds 13,206 megalitres. By comparison Lake MacDonald holds 8018 megalitres and Cooloolabin Dam holds 8183 megalitres. Both are connected to the SEQ Water Grid and recreational use is permitted at both sites.
"None of these activities are permitted at the dam. Instead it's fenced off and under-utilised."
A Seqwater spokesperson told the Bulletin last year that decisions to allow recreation on each dam was based on assessment of water quality risks.
"Seqwater will not introduce recreation at Leslie Harrison Dam due to unacceptable risks to drinking water quality."