November 18, 2013
The South Burnett has gained another $1.4 million from the State Government, this time for a major upgrade of the Kingaroy trunk sewer line.
Member for Nanango Deb Frecklington said today the announcement, through the State Government’s “Betterment Fund”, brought the total amount of vital flood-related projects so far to nearly $4 million.
“I’m so grateful for yet another huge announcement for the South Burnett. This time, $1.4 million has been granted to fix the Kingaroy trunk sewer line after it was repeatedly damaged from our flood events,” Mrs Frecklington said.
“The Kingaroy trunk sewer on River Road is an extremely important public health asset that transports sewerage from residential properties and businesses in Kingaroy to the Kingaroy Sewerage Treatment Plant.
“The project proposed by the South Burnett Regional Council will increase the resilience and functionality of the entire sewerage system in Kingaroy.
“The funding from our State Government just keeps flowing for the South Burnett. We’ve had the major $10 million announcement for the Kingaroy Waste Water Treatment Plant and over the past few months $2.5 million for our roads. It shows that the State Government is listening and really aware of the need to improve our regional infrastructure.”
Mayor Wayne Kratzmann said that in his 30 years of Local Government experience, he had never seen a government so willing to work with Council to make a difference.
“The door is always open to put forward our needs and from a Mayor’s perspective to be able to pick up the phone and talk directly to the Deputy Premier (Jeff Seeney), Minister Crisafulli and of course Deb is unprecedented,” Mayor Kratzmann said.
Portfolio representative Cr Barry Green said Council’s proposed pipe upgrade from 375mm (un-reinforced pipe) to 600mm (reinforced pipe) would increase sewer capacity and resilience and reduce the risk of damage during future floods caused by increased pressure.
“Replacement of the whole main will eliminate weak sections along the sewer line which may be vulnerable to high pressure during floods and cause further damage and service disruptions when they fail in the future,” Cr Green said.
“The estimated cost of the Kingaroy trunk sewer Betterment Project is $1,776,759. Council is contributing $144,568 to this betterment proposal. A total of $1,418,998 will be funded through the Betterment Fund, a joint State and Commonwealth initiative.”
