Proposed raising of Burdekin Falls Dam declared a coordinated project

Sunwater welcomes the Queensland’s Coordinator-General decision to declare the Burdekin Falls Dam Raising Project a coordinated project.

Burdekin Falls Dam, located 200 km south of Townsville, is the largest dam in Queensland at four times the capacity of Sydney Harbour. The project is a proposal to raise the existing dam as a potential means to augment and increase water supply and security in the Burdekin and surrounding regions.

Sunwater is working with the Coordinator-General’s Office to undertake an environmental impact statement (EIS) process which will assess the potential environmental, economic and social impacts and benefits a dam raising may have on the region. The EIS will also assess proposals to avoid, minimise and/or offset potential impacts.

Sunwater’s preliminary business case considered various dam heights and baseline studies to support the EIS process. Assessments concluded there is a sufficient level of interest and forecast future demand to warrant further investigations into a potential dam raising between two and six metres.

The Coordinator-General will now prepare a draft terms of reference for the EIS and the community will be invited to have their say on what it must address.

Sunwater is also working with Building Queensland who is leading the detailed business case on the project. The detailed business case will run concurrently with the EIS process and will evaluate the long-term demand for water to determine the extent of any raising recommended.

To read Sunwater’s initial advice statement for the Burdekin Falls Dam Raising Project visit the Coordinator-General’s website.

Further information about coordinated projects and the EIS process is also available on the Coordinator-General’s website.