In July 2020, the Queensland Government announced that the Gold Coast desalination plant at Tugun would return to full output over the summer. Minister Anthony Lynham said it was set to deliver as much as 133 million litres daily into the SEQ Water Grid, covering the period in which the Mt Crosby treatment works were offline for an AUD 35 million filter upgrade. Since the February rains the plant had already contributed over 1,200 million litres, and maintenance at Molendinar and Mudgeeraba in 2021 would call on it again.
The report showed that the desalination plant in South East Queensland served not only during droughts but also bridged planned shutdowns of major treatment plants within the regional grid.