The cost of the Queensland drought became clear for Mount Isa last week when the council announced a $440 levy was necessary to absorb water costs.

A spokesperson for the Department of Energy and Water Supply told  The North West Star  if the council needed funding it could apply for it under the Royalties for the Regions program.

Mount Isa Mayor Tony McGrady said he planned to meet with the state and federal governments to make it clear  financial help was needed to support the community.

``In recent times we have seen both of our governments come forward with assistance to primary industry to help them with drought relief packages in their hour of need and that is why council will meet with both of our governments to seek urgent assistance,'' Cr McGrady said.

``The problem we find ourselves in is related purely to the drought, which parts of our state are still suffering from, nothing more, and nothing less.'' 

Mount Isa's Royalties for the Regions application for a water treatment plant was shot down during the last funding round and a fresh application for the same project is now with the state government.

Opposition water spokesman Curtis Pitt said Labor had consistently called on the Newman government to reconsider its decision not to support Mount Isa City Council in its efforts to cater for the city's water need through Royalties for the Regions.

The $4.1 million bill expected to land in the council's lap over the 2014-15 financial year stems from the lease of a filtration plant by the Mount Isa Water Board to keep the city's drinking water safe while water levels remained low and blue-green algae flourished.

Cr McGrady gave a firm commitment the council would remove the extra charge as soon as Lake Moondarra reached a sufficient capacity.