About the dam
Emu Swamp Dam is a combined private irrigation and urban use dam proposed in the Granite Belt. The dam would provide water to a small group comprised of local irrigators and water investors – we currently estimate around 47 investors – for 11 months per year. By contrast more than 400 other local farmers will not have access to the water in Emu Swamp Dam.
In June 2020 Southern Downs Regional Council (SDRC) resolved to participate in the dam. In December 2020 SDRC resolved to purchase a 585 ML (megalitre) allocation in the dam, and to sell 450 ML of town water allocation to the dam proponent.
The footprint of the dam, and area to be inundated, is 223ha with an estimated 117km of pipelines and associated pumping infrastructure. Land uses in the proposed inundation area currently include grazing, orchards, vineyards and native vegetation. If a 200 m buffer is required due to SDRC’s involvement (for urban water quality issues) then the area of impacted land is approximately 534 ha. There are up to 17 private properties within the dam footprint. These may be compulsorily acquired by the dam proponent and some people will lose their home as well as their land.
As the pipeline route is currently still being determined, it is hard to estimate the number of properties that will be affected. Up to a quarter of the pipeline route is estimated to require blasting, in some areas the pipeline will have to be above ground, and there are also pumping stations and associated infrastructure along the route. Again, landowners do not need to agree to have the pipeline or infrastructure on their land, if they object then their land can be compulsorily acquired.
Dams for dummies
There’s a lot of goobledygook when it comes to dams. Here’s a “dams for dummies” explainer:
ML - megalitre. One million litres of water. For scale, an olympic swimming pool holds 2.5 ML. And SDRC is currently carting 1.6 ML per day to supplement water supplies in Stanthorpe.
Water allocations - allocations are not physical water. They’re the right, on paper, to harvest/hold/use a certain amount of water per year. When SDRC sells a 450 ML town water allocation, they are selling the right to capture in the dam and use 450 ML of water per year. They are not selling 450 ML of physical water. It is proposed that Emu Swamp Dam will have 3900 ML of annual allocations.