It’s a common sight for people to stop at a roadside to buy a bit of water and to get their hands dirty.
But what about the people who have to carry out the water treatment?
The Government’s Water and Land Service is the only water service provider in Queensland, but it has no real powers over what is being treated, or where it comes from.
A report released last year by the University of Queensland found the Government’s water service is currently operating at less than 20 per cent of its capacity and the amount of water treated is just $1.20 a litre.
The water is usually treated by a company called Enovio, which has a $300 million contract to do the work.
Enovio has about 20 workers and one delivery truck, but says it is not responsible for where the water is going to be used.
The report said there was no transparency about the water being treated or how much it cost to do so.
In a statement to the ABC, the Government said it was “very keen to ensure we are providing good quality water for Queenslanders and reducing water waste in Queensland”.
“EnoviOs water treatment process is a fully automated process that does not require any human involvement.
The water is processed onsite at a factory in North Queensland, where the cost of the water will be covered by EnoviO,” the statement said.
But the ABC found the cost for water treatment in Queensland varied between 10 per cent and 100 per cent depending on where it was being treated.
The Government is currently in the process of updating the water and land section of the Water and Environment Legislation Amendment (No. 2) Bill, which will also require Enovios water treatment contract to be renewed.
But Mr Johnson says there is a catch.
The Water and land bill says: “The Government intends to provide a public benefit to be paid for by the State and the Commonwealth.”
That means the water service has to have a commercial reason to provide it.
“I can’t see why you can’t do it,” Mr Johnson said.
“There’s no transparency, no accountability, and I can’t imagine what the rationale is.”