September 25, 2026
A safety upgrade at Gordonbrook Dam – which could have forced the South Burnett Regional Council to take out multi-million dollar loans to cover the cost – may no longer be necessary.
A total of $13.5 million in potential loans had been earmarked in Council’s Debt Policy as recently as the 2025 Council Budget.
However, this was removed from the 2026-27 Debt Policy adopted in July this year.
The SBRC has advised the Department of Local Government, Water and Volunteers that its recently completed risk assessment indicated the dam’s overall level of risk was potentially within regulatory requirements.
The Department is now awaiting more technical information from Council.
The SBRC’s revised risk assessment and annual review of the Emergency Action Plan is due on October 1.
A State Government spokesperson said that if the revised risk assessment was supported by sufficient evidence, and accepted by the department, upgrade works may not be required in the short term.
The Gordonbrook Dam upgrade has been a major concern for the SBRC for several years.
In April 2024, Council representatives met with representatives from the then-Department of Regional Development, Manufacturing and Water in Brisbane to press Council’s case for financial support for the mandatory “Acceptable Flood Capacity Upgrades” of the spillway at Gordonbrook.
At the time, Mayor Kathy Duff said the upgrade project was a massive cost to ratepayers with no direct benefit to water security.
Compulsory upgrade works at Toowoomba Regional Council’s Cressbrook Dam – which had been mandated under the same safety policy – began recently.
The State Government has contributed $54 million to the Cressbrook project, with the TRC allocating $81.4 million in its latest Budget.
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