The RWA on one page
The draft Regional Water Assessment (RWA) is 53 pages. I know most of you would rather just enjoy this rain, so here’s a snapshot of its conclusions and recommendations.
The good news? There is an option in the RWA which would supply water to Stanthorpe during extreme droughts: the Warwick to Stanthorpe (W2S) pipeline. The RWA states that the pipeline “was the only option investigated that fully addresses Stanthorpe’s urban water security risk.”
By comparison, Emu Swamp Dam “is not 100% reliable. In extreme droughts, like the one experienced in 2019, it is foreseeable that Emu Swamp Dam would not be able to provide ongoing emergency urban water supply.”
It is critical for the long-term future of Stanthorpe that the town has a drought supply of water.
To put it simply, even if Emu Swamp Dam was built, we would still have to truck water to Stanthorpe during drought. The Council needs to take this on board and focus its attention on the option that will provide water to Stanthorpe’s residents and businesses during drought. Emu Swamp Dam should be progressed separately by the irrigators.
The bad news? Despite these findings, the RWA states that the W2S pipeline does not “present a strong economic or financial case, noting there is capacity … to cart water from Warwick in times of extreme drought.” This shows a short-term approach to Stanthorpe’s water security which fails to take into account the emotional and psychological costs of carting, and the inevitable limitations placed on the growth of Stanthorpe. New businesses and residential developments all require a secure supply of water during drought.
Also disappointing is that the RWA recommends that the Queensland Government “Commence a Detailed Business Case (DBC) for the Warwick to Stanthorpe Pipeline, subject to outcomes of the project development work for the Granite Belt Irrigation Project.”
We’ve waited long enough for investigations into Emu Swamp Dam to run their course.
If the pipeline is the only option which guarantees a supply of water to Stanthorpe during a drought, then progressing this option should be prioritised by Council and the Queensland Government, regardless of further investigations into Emu Swamp Dam.
The RWA will have a drop-in public consultation session in Stanthorpe on 30 November 2023 from 1pm to 3pm at the Stanthorpe Civic Centre and another one in Warwick on 1 December 2023 from 10.30am to 1.30pm at the Warwick RSL. Online submissions are open from 16 November to 14 December.
20 November 2023