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FAQ — Connors River Dam & Pipelines EIS

Who is SunWater?
SunWater Limited is a Queensland government-owned corporation that provides a range of services, including infrastructure ownership, water delivery, operation and maintenance of infrastructure, and engineering consultancy services. Further information on SunWater is also available from their website www.sunwater.com.au.

SunWater was selected by the Queensland Government’s Department of Infrastructure and Planning as the designated proponent for the feasibility studies associated with the Connors River Dam & Pipelines Project under the Program of Works.

Where would the Connors River Dam be located?
The proposed dam is located on the Connors River, near Mount Bridget in the Isaac Region, approximately 235 km north-west of Rockhampton and 120 km south of Mackay. The location of the dam is detailed in the Project’s Environmental Impact Statement, which can be located at www.sunwater.com.au and following the link for “Connors River Dam and Pipelines”.

Why is the dam needed?
The need for the dam was identified in the Central Queensland Regional Water Supply Strategy (CQRWSS) as the preferred medium to long-term water supply solution to meet future water demands in the Isaac-Connors sub-region and surrounding areas. In December 2007 the Queensland Government established the “Program of Works Statewide Water Grid Regional Water Infrastructure Projects”, to be managed by the Coordinator General. Connors River Dam and Pipelines was included as one of eight projects within the Program.

Could the required water be readily sourced in other ways (i.e. is a dam really necessary)?
The dam is required to ensure the long-term security of water supply for future water users in the Isaac–Connors sub-region. It is not expected that demand management savings alone will be sufficient to meet the anticipated additional demand. The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) investigates alternative means of supply.

Who reviews the EIS and business case and makes the decision to proceed or not?
As the Connors River Dam and Pipelines Project was declared a ‘significant project’ pursuant to Section 26(1)(a) of the State Development and Public Works Organisation Act 1971 (SDPWOA), the Coordinator-General is the authority responsible for overviewing the impact assessment process for this project and for preparing a report on the EIS.

However, the project has also been declared a ‘controlled action’ under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act), which means the assessment process will be conducted under the bilateral agreement between the Australian and Queensland Government and requires approval from the responsible Federal Minister under Part 9 of the EPBC Act before it can proceed.

The purpose of the bilateral agreement is to allow SunWater (the proponent) to undertake only one EIS to meet both the State’s and Commonwealth’s requirements.

The business case will include a recommendation on whether or not the project should proceed and will be presented to the Queensland Government (Department of Infrastructure and Planning and Department or Environment and Resource Management) for consideration.

Where can I get more information about the Connors River Dam project?
For more information on the Connors River Dam project you can:

Phone the free-call project information line on: 1800 244 771
Send an email to: connorsriverdam@sunwater.com.au
Write to Connors River Dam and Pipelines Project Manager
Reply Paid 15536
City East QLD 4002
Visit: http://www.sunwater.com.au/ and follow the link for “Connors River Dam and Pipelines”

Why is an Environmental Impact Assessment needed for this project?
On 7 March 2008, the Queensland Government declared the Connors River Dam & Pipelines Project as a “significant project for which an EIS is required” in accordance with Part 4 of the State Development and Public Works Organisation Act 1971 (SDPWOA) Queensland.

What is an EIS?
The Environmental Impact Assessment ensures that all potential positive and negative impacts associated with the project are identified and addressed. The document produced from the assessment is the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

An EIS explores the potential positive and adverse environmental, cultural, social, and economic impacts likely to be associated with a project and identifies approaches for managing and/or enhancing those impacts.

The Connors River Dam and Pipelines EIS can be viewed here.

Submission of an EIS does not necessarily mean that the project will be approved.

What steps are included in the Environmental Impact Assessment process?
The first step in the assessment process is for the Coordinator-General to draft the Terms of Reference (ToR). The Coordinator-General releases the draft ToR for public comment, for a minimum of four weeks. All submissions are reviewed and the ToR amended as necessary before it is released as a final document.

The ToR works as a table of contents for the EIS and will assist SunWater in developing a comprehensive EIS that satisfies the requirements of the Queensland State Development and Public Works Organisation Act 1971 and the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

Once the ToR is finalised, the next step is preparation of the EIS. The EIS provides sufficient technical details of the project that will enable the reader and the regulatory bodies to assess the impact of the project on the environment (natural, social, economic, and built) in relation to the entire life of the project, including construction, operation, maintenance, and decommissioning.

Once the EIS has been prepared to the satisfaction of the Coordinator-General, the document is made available for review and comments invited from the public and Advisory Agencies.

The Coordinator-General will consider all of these comments and in the event that additional information is required, a request will be made to SunWater to provide a supplementary report to the EIS.

The final steps in the process involve the Coordinator-General releasing his report on the EIS to the Commonwealth under the bilateral agreement stating whether the assessment manager (under the Integrated Planning Act 1997) should approve the project or not, and if so, with what conditions. In reaching a conclusion about the EIS, the Coordinator-General will take into account all submissions lodged and accepted and any other material the Coordinator-General may consider relevant to the project.

The Commonwealth Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts then also will make a decision whether or not to approve the project. The Minister may request further information before making his decision.

What public consultation opportunities are available during the Environmental Impact Assessment process?
The first stage of public consultation involved the draft ToR for the EIS which was made available for review in February to March 2009, with submissions being accepted from the public and Advisory Agencies.

At the end of the public submission period the Coordinator-General finalised the ToR, taking into account properly made submissions received within the comment period.

SunWater have used final ToR as the basis for the preparation of the EIS.

During the preparation of the EIS, SunWater arranged public information sessions, where the public were able to learn more about the project and ask questions of the project team. These session were held in Mackay, Moranbah and Nebo in February and August 2009.

Once the EIS was prepared by SunWater to the satisfaction of the Coordinator-General, the document was made available for review and comments will be invited from the public and Advisory Agencies. The EIS document was released for public comment on 6 February 2010.

The EIS public response period will remain open from 6 February to 22 March 2010.

Following the public release period (6 February to 22 March 2010), the Coordinator-General reviewed the EIS in detail and considered all properly made submissions received.

Fourteen (14) submissions against the EIS were received by the Coordinator-General. Any issues that require further assessment will be prioritised by the Corrindator-General through the Supplementary EIS process. Currently, SunWater are undertaking required investigations to complete the EIS Supplementary Report.

Where will I be able to view the final ToR and/or EIS documents?
The Coordinator-General is responsible for distributing copies of the draft ToR and EIS, and these are available on SunWater’s and the Coordinator-General’s project websites, www.dip.qld.gov.au/projects/water/dams/connors-river-dam-and-pipelines.html.

The Connors River Dam and Pipelines EIS can be viewed here.

Hard copies of the EIS have been made available for review by members of the public at the following locations over the release period:

EIS display locations

MACKAY

Mackay City Library
Civic Centre
Gordon Street, Mackay

NEBO

Nebo Library
10 Reynolds Street, Nebo

MORANBAH
Moranbah Town Library
Grosvenor Complex
Batchelor Parade, Town Square, Moranbah

BRISBANE

State Library of Queensland
Cultural Centre
Stanley Place, South Bank, Brisbane

A CD-ROM containing the EIS is available free of charge or a hard copy may be purchased from SunWater. Please contact SunWater on freecall 1800 224 771 for further information.

How will I know the outcome of the consultation and whether the project gets approved or not?
A consultation report has been produced and made available as part of the EIS. A press release will be issued once a decision has been made whether or not to approve the Project. The status of all projects declared as of State Significance is available on the DIP website.

Where will the dam wall be located?
The dam wall is proposed to be located near Mount Bridget, approximately 5 km downstream of the junction of Murray and Collaroy Creeks. The topography of the Connors River valley at this location lends itself to a cost effective dam wall construction.

Why was this location chosen?
This location was chosen as the result of extensive assessment undertaken by the State Government as part of the Central Queensland Regional Water Supply Strategy (CQRWSS). This Strategy investigated the siting of a dam at seven possible surface water storage locations to service the Connors-Isaac region. A key outcome of the Strategy was that the Connors River Dam was assessed as being the best strategic long-term option for water supply in the region. A copy of the CQRWSS can be accessed from the web site of the Department of Environment and Resource Management. The dam site itself has been investigated a number of times over the years, commencing in 1976.

How much water will the dam hold?
The proposed dam is expected to store around 373,662 megalitres (ML) of water. Based on preliminary hydrological modelling it has been assessed that a storage of this size may yield up to 49,500 ML of high priority water per annum, as well as up to 5,000 ML of medium priority water per annum for release downstream of the dam.

When would construction of the dam start and finish?
If the project is approved in late 2010, construction is expected to start in 2011 and be completed in late 2013. On this schedule the project would be commissioned in early 2014.

Will there be any recreational facilities located around the dam site?
Yes, but the nature and extent of any recreational facilities is yet to be determined and will be discussed with the local Council and recreational groups.

What else is being done in the local region to secure future water supplies?
The State Government has a plan for the region, which is detailed in the CQRWSS report.