Early 2000’s
Two sites south of Stanthorpe, downstream on the Severn River, were identified for a proposed urban dam, with Emu Swamp at Fletcher becoming SDRC’s preferred choice.
2006
The Emu Swamp Dam project was referred to the Federal Minister for the Environment.
2007
In February, the Coordinator-General declared Emu Swamp Dam to be a “significant project” and in order for the project to be approved, an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was required. The Department of Infrastructure managed the environmental impact assessment process on behalf of the Coordinator-General and on 26 June 2007 the Terms of Reference for the EIS was released.
2008
In January, the Emu Swamp Dam Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was released. The document identified many problems with the proposed Emu Swamp Dam site, not just environmental, but also economic and engineering. As such, in April the Coordinator-General asked SDRC to investigate other urban water supply options for Stanthorpe, which had fewer environmental impacts and represented better value for money. In November SDRC resolved to investigate other urban-only water supply options and an Urban Water Planning Working Group was formed in December 2008.
2010
In April, an expert analysis and comparison of five feasible water supply options was presented to SDRC:
Emu Swamp Dam urban only option
Off Stream Storage at Diamondvale
Petries Crossing Off Stream Storage
Emu Swamp 1600ML Off Stream Storage and 630ML dam; and
Connolly Dam pipeline.
The report recommended the pipeline from Connolly Dam as representing the best option in terms of all criteria investigated. Unsatisfied with the recommendations SDRC then commissioned Unidel to specifically research the Emu Swamp Dam project viability again and produce a report. However the Unidel report, aligning with other assessments of Emu Swamp Dam, also found the site to be problematic. There were many concerns - economic, engineering and environmental – which would make the proposed Emu Swamp Dam site unviable and uneconomic.
2011
Notwithstanding the two prior reports, SDRC in June 2011 voted five to three, with one abstention, to proceed with a Supplementary EIS at an estimated cost of $800,000. Councillors Pennisi (now Mayor), MacMurtrie, Bartley (now Deputy Mayor), Ingram and McNally (current Councillor) voted for. Then Mayor Bellingham, then Deputy-Mayor Blundell and Cr Meiklejohn voted against and (still) Councillor Gow abstained due to a conflict of interest. Consultants Sinclair Knight Merz (now called Jacobs Group) prepared a cost estimate of $800,000 and a timeframe of 18 months for the investigations and field work and up to a further 18 months for negotiations with both State and Federal governments to reach a decision.
2013
The Supplementary EIS investigation was completed. Federal Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce visited the district.
2014
Barnaby Joyce announced Emu Swamp Dam was one of 30 dam sites shortlisted for construction across Australia. Conditional to the approval of the Emu Swamp Dam project, the Queensland Coordinator-General’s department sought additional information to the Supplementary EIS. In April the Supplementary EIS was released. State approval for the Emu Swamp Dam project was given under the Newman government.
2015
On 29 September Mayor Peter Blundell announced that he no longer supported the Emu Swamp Dam project.
2016
On 10 March 2016, prior to Council elections, Mayor Blundell issued media releases and Facebook posts with the reasons why he thought the Emu Swamp Dam project was not the solution. He stated “Since amalgamation, Southern Downs Regional Council has spent over $2 million on reports and studies to support the case for Emu Swamp Dam. This was after reviews assessed that the project was neither financially viable nor environmentally sustainable – reviews that carried significant additional costs. Ask yourselves why, after 15 years of investigations and lobbying, the project has not received guaranteed funding except for pre-election verbal assurances. Ask why neither state nor federal governments on both sides of the political spectrum have not committed funding to the project. The reasons are quite simple. The business case does not stack up. There is undoubtedly a desire to see increased agricultural activity in the region, and there is a need for additional water to achieve this. However, the water is needed when levels are low. Water will not be available when levels are low due to environmental requirements and the depth of the dam.”
Mayor Blundell was not re-elected, and in October the new Council was successful under the National Water Infrastructure Development Fund (under Michael McCormack’s ministry) to undertake a feasibility study on Emu Swamp Dam.
2017
The latest feasibility study again found that there were other options more effective and less costly than Emu Swamp Dam. Emu Swamp Dam as an urban dam is 5th in a list of 7 options, and Emu Swamp Dam combined urban and irrigation is 7th (i.e. last). Ahead of Emu Swamp Dam are (1) integrated water supply management (2) Connolly Dam to Stanthorpe pipeline (3) raising Storm King Dam and (4) Ballandean dam urban only. However with a price tag of between $59million and $120million for either Ballandean or Emu Swamp Dam, the report also found neither option would be economically viable for the council without a significant government subsidy. SDRC requested that the Commonwealth government funding allow them to investigate these other options: this request was refused. In November SDRC resolved to investigate the other options identified in the feasibility study. Granite Belt Water Limited (GBW) becomes the dam proponent.
2018
GBW invites SDRC to participate in Emu Swamp Dam. SDRC declines to participate in Emu Swamp Dam.
2019
The Federal government, through the National Water Infrastructure Development Fund, commits $47m of funding to Emu Swamp Dam. The Queensland Government commits $13.6m of funding to Emu Swamp Dam. In November, SDRC decided to progress with the engagement of GHD and the Synergies Group to finalise approvals and the business case to raise the wall at Storm King Dam. Both the original reports by Jacobs and a recent report by GHD recommended raising the dam wall as the preferred urban water option, and SDRC stated that these recommendations were accepted by both State and Federal Governments. SDRC anticipated that the necessary approvals and business case would be completed as early as mid-December 2019.
March 2020
The March Council election result is Vic Pennisi becoming Mayor, and Ross Bartley returning as Deputy Mayor. New Councillor Stephen Tancred is also elected as a Councillor. Both Mayor Pennisi and Councillor Tancred have perceived conflicts of interest in relation to Emu Swamp Dam.
Information on SDRC’s spending to date on the Emu Swamp Dam project was revealed as part of a review request from the then Mayor Dobie (see Independent Council Election Observer decision of 12 March 2020 ).
The ICEO requested further information from Cr Dobie which she provided in the form of a spreadsheet prepared by Council in 2019 which listed reports, expenditure and records referenced to expenditure on Emu Swamp Dam going back over 30 years. Mayor Dobie stated that by reference to that spreadsheet various Councils with responsibility for Emu Swamp Dam, including SDRC, had, over that period, spent $2,610,919.
Raising the wall of Storm King Dam is put on hold.
June 2020
GBW writes to SDRC offering the terms on which SDRC can participate in Emu Swamp Dam. These terms include:
SDRC would transfer 450ML of its town water supply allocation from Storm King Dam to Emu Swamp Dam. DNRME advise that without this transfer it will be very difficult for GBW to aggregate enough allocations to meet the State Government conditions for approval (which require 3900ML of allocations).
SDRC would pay an upfront cost of $6,000 per megalitre towards construction and a per annum cost of $408 per megalitre for annual maintenance and operating charges. The per annum cost is payable even if there is no water in the dam, or if no water is used by SDRC. This would equate to $3.51m upfront (for SDRC’s 585 ML allocation) and $238,860 per annum.
In a contentious meeting SDRC voted to accept the GBW proposal, subject to a number of conditions. The vote was 4 for and 4 against (with Mayor Pennisi abstaining due to a conflict of interest), and was carried with the casting vote of Deputy Mayor Bartley. Councillor Tancred, despite an apparent conflict of interest, voted on the proposal. Numerous complaints were made to the Office of the Independent Assessor, but due to the 3 month amnesty period for new councillors, no action was taken against Councillor Tancred.
November 2020
Queensland DNRME holds a workshop with SDRC to go through the results of their modelling on Emu Swamp Dam. This shows Emu Swamp Dam would also be empty, and water carting would still be required, in the current drought. It also shows that the most reliable option is to raise Storm King Dam by 2.5m.
December 2020
SDRC votes to (a) sell/lease 450 ML to GBW at a price to be agreed and (b) buy 585 MLin Emu Swamp Dam at $6,000 per ML capital cost and $408 per ML p.a. maintenance costs. Both Mayor Pennisi and Councillor Tancred abstain from voting due to conflicts of interest, but are allowed to remain in the room for the debate. Stephen Tancred states after the vote “There are still environmental concerns and the quotes to build the dam might be more than the $84 million that is projected … which would be a show-stopper.”
Early 2021
Despite a year of average rainfall, until March Storm King Dam remained at a level which required water carting. The extraordinary rain event in March filled Storm King Dam in one day, giving Stanthorpe an estimated 3 year supply of urban water if managed wisely.
September 2021
Tenders for construction of the dam and pipeline closed. GBIP insists the headline numbers in the tenders are “commercial in confidence”, despite taxpayers funding the lion’s share of the dam, including the tender process itself. POW!’s view is that while the detailed tender documents may be confidential, the total cost of the project should be made public. Without open and transparent discussion on the costs of the project, the community cannot assess whether the project represents the best use of both taxpayers’ money and the scarce water reserves in the region.
November 2021
The project is placed on “Pause” under the “Stop/Go/Pause” decision point, while GBIP “[work] closely with both the Australian and Queensland governments to assess the options”. A clear indication that the tenders have come in higher than the budgeted costs, and that GBIP is asking for more taxpayer funding for the project. If the rumours are correct, the latest estimate is more than double the $84M in the GBIP’s business plan. GBIP engage top Labor lobbyists to meet with the Chief of Staff for Cameron Dick, the Treasurer and Minister for Trade and Investment.
February 2022
GBIP apply to the Coordinator-General to extend the lapse date on the CG’s evaluation report on the environmental impact statement (EIS) for Emu Swamp Dam. The original lapse date was 29 September 2017, which has already been extended four times - first to 2 October 2018, then to 2 April 2019, then to 2 April 2020 and then to 1 April 2022. The Coordinator-General extents the lapse date again, this time to 1 April 2023.
On 22 February 2022 the Federal government and the Queensland government sign a replacement Schedule D to their National Partnership Agreement on the National Water Infrastructure Development Fund. The previous Schedule D referred to the project being managed by Granite Belt Water. The new Schedule D refers to the Federal Government requiring written confirmation from the Queensland Government “that Granite Belt Water Limited supports an alternative, suitably qualified entity taking the lead on the project; and activity is underway to facilitate the potential transfer of the project...”
March 2022
Without prior announcement, a single line in the Budget for an additional $126.6 million from the Federal government confirms that the estimated cost of construction of the dam has more than doubled, to over $210m. The earlier estimate was $84m. Taxpayers will now be funding 89% of this private project, compared to the investors’ $24m.
June 2022
In written answers to questions on notice about this new funding for Emu Swamp Dam at Senate Estimates in April 2022, the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications stated that "Under the National Water Grid Investment Framework the Australian Government can fund up to 50 per cent of the cost of construction." However the new funding announcement would take the Australian government to more than 80% of the cost of construction. The Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications was also asked about whether the additional funding had been subject to any review, and it stated that "The National Water Grid Advisory Body was not asked to, and did not, review the additional funding."
October 2022
In the Federal budget the Federal funding for Emu Swamp Dam (along with 3 other water infrastructure projects) is deferred over 4 years “to be reconsidered once business cases are completed and viable pathways to delivery are determined and assessed”. In its Water for Australia Plan (see page 3 here) the Department of Water states that “These projects may proceed following proper consideration and if they deliver good value to the community. Alternatively other more cost-effective solutions may be considered.” The Department of Water in its Portfolio Budget Statement further states that “The department will ensure responsible investment in national water infrastructure projects where business cases stack up, environmentally and economically, to ensure water security for communities, industry and the environment.”
November 2022
The Queensland Government announces “The Granite Belt Irrigation Project, which includes Emu Swamp Dam, will be included in the Palaszczuk Government’s Southern and Darling Downs Regional Water Assessment (RWA) program.” The announcement also reveals that the cost for Emu Swamp Dam has increased again to more than $240 million. The Regional Water Assessment program is looking at the Granite Belt’s future water needs and exploring the merits of alternative options. This move means that Emu Swamp Dam will be assessed against other options. Encouragingly, the announcement has a focus on the community, with State Water Minister Glenn Butcher stating “it’s absolutely critical that we plan for projects like these, so they don’t become a drain on the taxpayer” and Federal Water Minister Tanya Plibersek stating “We know that the Stanthorpe region has faced real water security issues in the past. It’s important we find a solution for the community.” Public consultation on the RWA is expected in early 2023, with recommendations expected in the 2nd half of 2023.
January 2023
SDRC states that “Council does not intend to change the current representation on the [Regional Water Assessment] advisory and working groups” notwithstanding that the two representatives, Mayor Pennisi and Councillor Tancred, have conflicts of interest relating to Emu Swamp Dam. To illustrate this point, Mayor Pennisi on ABC radio tries to talk down the pipeline from Connolly Dam. In fact the pipeline was a shortlisted as an infrastructure option in the RWA in September 2022. Granite Belt residents largely remain unaware of this due to a failure of SDRC to be open and transparent in relation to the RWA process. In a February 2023 press release Mayor Pennisi does not even mention this shortlisted option, despite talking about available options for urban water security.
April 2023
On 1 April 2023 the Coordinator-General’s evaluation report on Emu Swamp Dam lapsed. A question on notice from James Lister MP to the Minister for Water reveals that the approvals for the project were transferred to SunWater on 19 January 2023.
November 2023
The Queensland Government’s draft Regional Water Assessment is made public, with consultation open from 16 November to 14 December. The draft states that the Warwick to Stanthorpe pipeline “was the only option investigated that fully addresses Stanthorpe’s urban water security risk.” Despite this, the draft recommends that investigating this option be subject to further investigations on Emu Swamp Dam, and a business case only be completed within 5 years.