A SUNSHINE Coast councillor told an anti-desalination meeting last night that the carrying capacity of the land had been reached when we had to manufacture water to support further population growth.

Council major portfolio head Debbie Blumel said the time had come to respect the regional landscape rather than accept planning driven by the development industry.

Organised by Communities Against Desalination the meeting at Marcoola surf club, which attracted more than 200 people, was the final public gathering in opposition to planning for a desalination pipeline that would pump water from about 1.5km seaward of Marcoola to a treatment plant next to Sunshine Coast Airport.

“Let's talk about how we can have more population growth when there is insufficient water for the population we already have,'' Ms Blumel said.

“Let me be absolutely clear about this. SEQ is unable to provide water for the future population unless we manufacture it using desalination.”

Queensland Water Commission executive director Dan Spiller said it would explore all options before committing to a model to deliver water to the south-east corner's growing population.

He said the community could, by limiting use, stall the need for a new supply source.

Mr Spiller said the commission had to undertake planning and be ready to act to meet demand.

That could be as early as 2017, which would require the construction of a supply source by 2014, or as late as 2032.

Mr Spiller said he believed that the 230 litre a person each day assumption that informed the commission's demand projections could be improved to 200 but that it required community feedback on what it wanted.

However, if desalination is determined to be needed to augment the water grid, it appears that Marcoola is shaping as the preferred option over Lytton because of the already degraded state of Moreton Bay.

Member for Maroochydore Fiona Simpson said if the government was serious about demand management it should re-introduce the rebate scheme for tanks and water efficient devices and assist with the plumbing of tanks to existing homes.

She called on the government to work cooperatively with the community to reduce demand.

Environmental scientist Justin Holbrook outlined plans for a water harvesting scheme at Coolum Ridges which he said offered a model for all new subdivisions.