17 March, 2022
Water wait almost over
After years of trucks carting water into Clifton, the opening of the Great Artesian Bore (GAB) site is now so close you can nearly taste it.
Toowoomba Regional Council (TRC) Water and Waste Committee chair Cr Rebecca Vonhoff said Clifton’s GAB bore will be the source of some of the water that will be treated to augment the town’s water supply in the coming month.
“The bore is constructed with a 12 inch or 323mm production casing to a depth of 300 metres. It was pressure cemented to exclude the aquifers above it,” Cr Vonhoff said.
“It is estimated that the sustainable yield of the bore is approximately five litres per second. This will be confirmed when the bore is brought online.”
“The GAB bore is equipped with a suitable bore pump and ancillary equipment for monitoring and control.”
The new treatment plant was delivered to site on February 15.
Cr Vonhoff said weather permitting, it is anticipated treated water will be supplied to Clifton by the end of March 2022, allowing Council to stop carting drinking water to Clifton.
“The new packaged water treatment plant will deliver a pre-assembled, complete water treatment option for the groundwater aquifer bore system, including the GAB bore,” she said.
“The Reverse Osmosis water treatment plant will address and improve the water quality for Clifton residents.
“The Toowoomba Region’s southern towns rely on groundwater supplies.
“With drought and increasing demand for groundwater supplies, the security and quality of groundwater for town water supplies has diminished over time.”
Results from TRC’s 100 hour pump test in June showed the GAB bore should supply 80 per cent of Clifton’s town water.
The remaining 20 per cent could be supplemented by a couple of different methods.
Community consultation is still open until Friday for the Queensland Government’s proposed Toowoomba to Warwick Pipeline.
The main aim of the pipeline is to provide water security for Warwick through a raw water pipeline from Toowoomba, however, it can also provide water for the townships of Clifton, Nobby, Greenmount and Cambooya.
To learn more about the proposed pipeline and provide feedback, visit here.
Depending on the outcome and timeline of the Toowoomba to Warwick Pipeline, there have also been discussions with TRC regarding connecting Clifton, Nobby, Greenmount and Cambooya to the bulk water supply, known as the Southern Regional Pipeline.
Further discussion on that pipeline will take place no later than the September Ordinary Meeting of Council.
