Community consultation on a proposed pipeline from Toowoomba to Warwick has been extended, to ensure any residents who may have been impacted by the recent floods still have time to have their say.
Consultation was scheduled to close this week, but Minister for Regional Development, Manufacturing and Water Glenn Butcher said late submissions will be accepted until the end of March.
“We know there are many who are working through a range of issues associated with the recent floods and we don’t want those people to lose the opportunity to share their opinion about this important project,” he said.
The proposed pipeline aims to improve Warwick’s drought resilience and provide water supply to Toowoomba regional towns along the route, while ensuring there are no negative impacts to Toowoomba’s water security.
“Investing in major water infrastructure projects is an important part of the Palaszczuk Government’s COVID-19 economic recovery plan,” Minister Butcher said.
The consultation is targeted to residents of Toowoomba and Southern Downs regional council areas.
Minister Butcher said a common question in the early stages of this consultation process had been about the volume of water being moved through the proposed pipeline.
“People might find it helpful to know about the scale of water needed for Warwick’s drought contingency in terms of ‘Sydney Harbours.’
“Following the recent floods and discussions around Wivenhoe Dam, people have become familiar with the measurement of a Sydney Harbour and how it relates to the volumes of water in Wivenhoe Dam,” he said.
“We know that when the flood storage compartments are not in use, Wivenhoe Dam holds two Sydney Harbours. This proposed pipeline for water supply to the Southern Downs would take up to 2,700 megalitres per year, or half a percent of one Sydney Harbour,” he said.
That’s the equivalent of three Olympic swimming pools per day.
“Of course, we’re only talking about potential maximum volumes taken from Wivenhoe Dam during times of drought for the Southern Downs – but that might help people to visualise the volumes of water we’re talking about with the pipeline.”
Any water supplied to Warwick would be separate to Toowoomba’s allocation from Wivenhoe Dam and would not impact Toowoomba’s water security or supply.
An independent engineer has also been engaged to assess Toowoomba’s ongoing water security and options, so that the community can have confidence in Toowoomba’s water security
“Let me be clear, Toowoomba’s water security will not be under threat,” Minister Butcher said.
Under the Southern Down Drought Resilience Package, the Queensland Government has committed to completing detailed design and costing for the proposed pipeline project.
Residents who wish to make a submission should visit: https://beta.ee.alytics.com/t2wpipeline
