22 June, 2022
Pipeline is in the pipeline
Ahead of the 2022-23 Queensland State Budget, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced that the long-proposed Toowoomba to Warwick Pipeline will be built, providing a permanent water supply for Clifton, Nobby, Greenmount and Cambooya.
The announcement was made after the Premier hosted a community cabinet meeting in Stanthorpe.
More than $300 million for water security and regional development has been committed.
Premier Palaszczuk said the pre-construction phase could start within the next few months, with a proposed completion date of mid-2026, subject to consultation with the councils.
“Construction of the pipeline will deliver approximately 420 jobs to the local communities, as well as long-term water security, which is critical to jobs, economic growth and liveability of Queensland communities,” she said.
“Having certainty of drinking water supplies gives the community confidence, as well as the small businesses and industry that rely on councils’ reticulated supplies.
“This is fantastic news for the future prosperity of these communities, particularly the Southern Downs region which suffered from the prolonged drought.”
The announcement caught Toowoomba Regional Council (TRC) Mayor Paul Antonio by surprise, despite TRC’s crucial role in the project.
Mayor Antonio said he would welcome conversations with the State Government to discuss the Toowoomba to Warwick water pipeline.
“While we’ve been given updates on the project over the past year or so, we weren’t aware there would be an announcement yesterday until I received a call in the morning from the Minister for Regional Development and Manufacturing and Minister for Water,” Mayor Antonio said.
“Since the announcement, Minister Butcher has again been in contact with myself and I welcome further discussions on the matter as it’s important we understand the full details of the proposal.
“In all discussions to date, we’ve made it clear that we’re not only concerned about our water security now, but our future water security and the impact this will have on our water infrastructure.”
Mayor Antonio said the priorities are to protect the region’s water future and to make sure this pipeline will not come at the cost of ratepayers.
“While we understand the needs of Southern Downs and are sympathetic to their situation, our priority is our Region and our residents - we need to do what’s best for our community,” he said.
“At this stage we’re unclear of how this pipeline will work so it’s important we have the necessary conversations before we commit to the project.
“In saying this, from the information we’ve seen, I’m pleased our southern townships have been included in the proposed line and the focus from the State Government on water security.”
The announcement came with few details about how the pipeline will work, including what its exact route will be.
It is known that the total length is 108.7km of pipes, pumps and reservoirs to carry water from Wivenhoe Dam all the way to Warwick.
Minister for Water Glenn Butcher said the project will deliver a reliable drought contingency supply for the Southern Downs communities of Warwick, Allora, Killarney, Yangan and Stanthorpe and provide a permanent water supply for the ‘Toowoomba satellite communities’ of Nobby, Clifton, Greenmount and Cambooya.
“These communities have been some of the hardest hit by drought in recent years and we know that water security is so vital.
“While the dams are currently in a better state after recent rain, we know
it doesn’t take long for supplies to deplete, particularly due to evaporation during long dry periods,” he said.
“While we’ve provided support to the Southern Downs through carting water and Toowoomba has been carting to its smaller satellite communities, we know locals want to see these issues fixed and this is a huge step forward.”
Mr Butcher said residents connected to the Toowoomba Bulk Water Supply could also be confident that the pipeline would not impact their existing water supply, while providing drought resilience to surrounding communities.
He mentioned Warwick, which in 2020 saw its water supply in the Leslie Dam dwindle to just 4 per cent, with the projection that the dam would run out of water later that year.
Recent projections provided to Southern Downs Regional Council indicate that without further inflows Leslie Dam will be depleted by August/September 2026.
The pipeline will carry water from Wivenhoe Dam and connect with Toowoomba Regional Council’s existing water infrastructure, to deliver water to Warwick and Toowoomba’s satellite communities along the way.
Seqwater has delivered detailed designs for the pipeline and will continue working with stakeholders in moving into the delivery phase of the pipeline.
Previously, the Queens-land Government has delivered the $19.34 million Southern Downs Drought Resilience Package, which contained measures to reliable and lasting drought contingency water supply for the Southern Downs region.
This included the installation of new pumps at Leslie Dam to allow for accessing more water storage as well as investigative works into the Toowoomba to Warwick pipeline, commissioning of groundwater bores, and upgrades to water treatment systems.
The Queensland Govern-ment has invested $9 million in the Regional Water Assessment program, which will set a road map for economic growth in three of Queensland’s significant food bowls, including Southern and Darling Downs.
The Queensland Govern-ment also invested in carting water to Stanthorpe during the worst of the drought.
The Premier claims she has a commitment to not let any Queensland community run out of drinking water, although TRC was not offered the same arrangement and had to pay for water carting to Clifton itself from late 2019 until recently.
