March 10, 2015
Kingaroy residents may get to enjoy a better water supply for much longer than originally expected.
The South Burnett Regional Council will soon vote on converting its existing Medium Priority water allocations from Boondooma Dam to High Priority water allocations.
If carried, the change would mean water from Boondooma Dam would continue to be used to supply residents connected to the Kingaroy Water Supply Scheme, while Gordonbrook Dam water could be used to supply the proposed Hope Dairies project.
The Council swapped to using Boondooma Dam water last year while it carried out upgrades to the Gordonbrook water treatment plant.
It was hoped the upgrades would put an end to ongoing contamination scares tied to Gordonbrook’s poorer water quality.
The upgrades are scheduled to be completed later this year.
The Council originally anticipated moving residents back to either a blend of Gordonbrook and Boondooma water, or entirely back to Gordonbrook water, when the upgraded water treatment plant was recommissioned.
But feedback received since the changeover suggests Kingaroy residents prefer the taste of Boondooma Dam water.
The Hope Dairies project, which would be based near Kingaroy, is expected to have significant water demands.
Mayor Wayne Kratzmann said today he believed these would be most efficiently met by supplying the project from Gordonbrook.
The money recouped from this could be used to pay the extra cost of piping water from Boondooma Dam for Kingaroy residents, effectively solving two problems without increasing costs for ratepayers.
The motion will be debated at the SBRC’s next general meeting on Wednesday, March 11.
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Update March 11, 2015: The South Burnett Regional Council today approved a motion to upgrade its remaining Boondooma Dam water allocations from Medium to High Priority.
Council’s Engineering General Manager Russell Hood advised councillors that when the Gordonbrook water treatment plant upgrades are finished later this year, it is likely that Kingaroy’s water supply will be a mix of 20 per cent Gordonbrook water and 80 per cent Boondooma water.
Mayor Wayne Kratzmann said the move would help ensure water security for Kingaroy, and would also accomodate future growth of the town.
Cr Barry Green said the move would also provide a new option for Nanango’s future water supply should there ever be a problem with the current supply, which is drawn from the Barker Creek aquifer.
The motion to upgrade the allocation was passed unanimously.
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