Water guaranteed for Mount Morgan

Rockhampton Regional Council and Fitzroy River Water have today reaffirmed their commitment that the residents of Mount Morgan will not be left without access to water as the dry weather continues.

Rockhampton Region Mayor, Tony Williams, said the water remaining in the dam is expected to provide water for another three to six months but that Council was now trialling contingency plans.

“I want to be really clear on this: we will not leave Mount Morgan residents without access to water,” said Mayor Williams.

“This issue is incredibly important, and I know that it has been a real worry in the Mount Morgan community given the lack of rain over the past 12 months.

“There is around 280 ML remaining in the dam, and this will provide water for another three to six months even if there is no rain at all.

“However we want to make sure that we can provide water to the Mount Morgan community from another source if this becomes necessary in the future. That’s why this week we will start to trial trucking water from Gracemere up to Mount Morgan.

“Following a workshop yesterday we have written directly to all residents to give them an update, and we will also be holding a public meeting in the coming weeks to provide information on the trial and to talk about long term water security options for the town.”

Water and Supporting a Better Environment Councillor, Donna Kirkland, said the trial would allow Council and Fitzroy River Water to fine tune the process.

“We definitely aren’t at the stage of needing to truck water up yet,” said Councillor Kirkland.

“However this trial will allow us to do things like check the logistics, make sure the tankers can be loaded and unloaded correctly, and time how long the process takes. This means if we do get to the point where we need to truck water up in future there will be a continuous supply to residents.

“The water will be taken directly to the Mount Morgan Water Treatment Plant and will then be distributed to homes as normal.

“We are also continuing to explore the feasibility of other options for improving the long term water security in Mount Morgan. These include a new dam site at the Nine Mile Creek, a pipeline from Gracemere to Mount Morgan, treating the mine-pit water, increasing the capacity of the dam, excavating Fletcher Creek and a pumped hydro scheme initiative.

“I have said this before but I want to say it again: thank you to the Mount Morgan community for doing a tremendous job in reducing water usage, and extending the life of the remaining supply in the dam for as long as possible.”

Divisional Councillor Cherie Rutherford said she understood the anxieties about water in Mount Morgan.

“We’ve all watched as the No.7 Dam has continued to drop over the last 12 months, and been disappointed as the rain we really hoped for just hasn’t come.

“I want to emphasise that the Mount Morgan community is a valued part of the Rockhampton Region, and there is no scenario in which we would allow residents to be left without water.

“We will write to everyone once the time and location of the public meeting is confirmed, and I would encourage residents to come along to hear about the water security options being explored and to share their thoughts.

“We have also created a central page for all Mount Morgan water related information on our website, which will be regularly updated: www.rrc.qld.gov.au/mountmorganwater. I would also encourage anyone with questions to give us a call and speak to an officer directly to get any information you need.”

For the latest information please visit www.rrc.qld.gov.au/mountmorganwater. Residents can also speak directly to officers at Fitzroy River Water by calling 4932 9000.

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