Townsville Enterprise has made a submission to the State Government’s Burdekin Basin Water Plan Review.
The State Government’s Burdekin Basin Water Plan has not been updated since 2007.
Townsville Enterprise CEO, Claudia Brumme-Smith said the submission focuses on North Queensland needing a water plan that is a holistic view of the entire Burdekin River system and a water development strategy that allows for North Queensland to plan long-term.
“The new Burdekin Basin Water Plan must address long-term, sustainable water planning and resource management and will need to be flexible to allow for the development of our region into the future,” Mrs Brumme-Smith said.
“Since the establishment of the Burdekin Dam in 1984, the population of North Queensland has almost doubled and is set to grow by a further 100,000 people in the next two decades. The investment pipeline for committed and proposed projects for our region is currently forecast to be $64.9 billion with 68,136 additional jobs. These major projects increase demand on the region’s water supply to support population growth and water for industrial use.
“Water planning, in times of economic and population growth, as well as combatting the impacts of climate change, means it can never stand still and must be a flexible tool to achieve the best outcome. The main aim of the revised Burdekin Basin Water Plan must be to provide North Queensland with a long-term, sustainable, economic, environmental, and social future.
“Water needs to be actively governed and the Plan must be well informed on demand, environmental and social impacts - not only in the existing known part of Burdekin system but with a holistic view of the overall system. Several business cases including Hells Gates Dam and feasibility studies have been developed for the region and these insights must be taken into consideration when developing the new Burdekin Basin Water Plan.
“For the region’s water security, to unlock prime agricultural land, private investment and create new industries like hydrogen, North Queensland needs a plan that will enable us to build capacity into the future.”
Both the State and Federal Water Ministers are in Townsville today for water plan discussions. Townsville Enterprise will work with all levels of government to ensure water security for North Queensland for generations to come.
Download the Townsville Enterprise Burdekin Basin Water Plan Submission
