Maintaining interest

The RWA estimates the annual operating cost for Emu Swamp Dam at $1,560,000.  That means Council’s 15% stake would cost ratepayers $234,000 per year, on top of the $80 million buy-in cost for a 15% interest. Are these worthwhile costs, given that the RWA says that, in extreme droughts like 2019, Emu Swamp Dam would not have any emergency water supply for Stanthorpe?

By comparison, the annual cost to ratepayers of the Toowoomba to Warwick pipeline has been capped at $305,000 for the first 10 years, under a funding arrangement with the Queensland Government.  Surely there’s no reason a similar deal couldn’t be reached for the Warwick to Stanthorpe pipeline.

In the RWA process it was put to Council that as Emu Swamp Dam was not economically viable, did SDRC want to continue investigating this option?  Of course you all know the answer to that one!  Why not get yet more reports!!  The problem is that starting a detailed business case for the Warwick to Stanthorpe pipeline is subject to these further investigations into Emu Swamp Dam.

As we said yesterday, 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.

Corrected 30 November 2023