The SBRC will commission the development of a 25-year plan about how to best use Tarong Power Station’s 29.9ML Boondooma Dam water allocation when the power station is decommissioned in 2037 (Photo: SBRC)

September 27, 2021

South Burnett Regional Council will spend $579,000 to advance six water projects across the region.

The money will come from the Council’s remaining share of the $2 million Burnett Water Feasibility Study funded by the Federal Government, which began in December 2019.

Five of the projects aim to improve water security and agricultural productivity in the region, while the sixth will develop a 25-year economic road map to address the closure of the Tarong power stations.

Tarong has a 29,900ML high-priority water allocation from Boondooma Dam but its water requirements are expected to steadily reduce as Tarong moves towards closure in 2037.

The six projects are:

  • Development of a 25-year economic road map addressing Tarong Power Station’s closure and water projects that can be pursued using Boondooma Dam water to maximise urban, commercial and irrigation benefits
  • Development of a business case examining Kingaroy water security and the conversion of Gordonbrook Dam from town water supply to irrigation use ($25m); this includes the construction of a 150ML off-stream storage facility at the Kingaroy water treatment plant ($5m), the upgrade of Gordonbrook Dam to government standards ($12m), and the construction of the Wooroolin water reservoir ($4m).
  • Barlil Weir demand assessment to determine its economic viability
  • Barambah West Weir hydrological assessment to determine the viability of building a 15m barrage on the Barker-Barambah system for reliable irrigation in the Moffatdale-Murgon area, followed by an economic assessment if the project passes hydrologic analysis
  • Blackbutt irrigation assessment to prepare a business case to develop new or augmented water infrastructure for Blackbutt irrigators
  • A review of water-saving initiatives at Swickers – including the construction of a recycled water plant – in order to assist the company in securing funding

The six projects were unanimously approved for further study at the SBRC’s September meeting last Wednesday and announced by Mayor Brett Otto at a media conference on Thursday.

The final reports are expected to be delivered in May 2022.

Related articles:

  

 

One Response to "Council Picks Final Water Projects"

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.