Burdekin Falls Dam Raising – Community Reference Group

Burdekin Falls Dam Raising

Burdekin Falls Dam, North Queensland

The Burdekin Falls Dam Raising Project proposes to raise the existing dam by two metres to increase water supply and support future water demand in the Burdekin and surrounding regions.

Community Reference Group

The Burdekin Falls Dam Community Reference Group (CRG) is a forum for consultation and information exchange between Sunwater and community representatives about the Burdekin Falls Dam Improvement Project and proposed Burdekin Falls Dam Raising.

The group will assist Sunwater to capture a diverse range of views to be incorporated into the detailed business case, the environmental impact statement process, and communication with the broader community about the projects.

The role of the CRG is to:

  • ensure that stakeholders are accurately informed about the Burdekin Falls Dam projects and associated impacts and benefits
  • ensure local community knowledge, skills and concerns can be considered in a constructive way
  • assist Sunwater to ensure that there is engagement with the broader community in the planning and decision making for the projects
  • provide a process for the early identification of ideas, opportunities and potential project risks or constraints to inform ongoing refinements to the project scope.

CRG Members

FacilitatorRenée Madsen, Create and Evaluate
Core members (note some members represent more than one interest group).A community member and resident near the dam
Burdekin Shire Council and Charters Towers Regional Council representatives
Traditional owners or representatives from relevant Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporations
Local Disaster Management Group representative
Sunwater customer representatives
Environmental and natural resource management group representative
A local business or industry association representative
Sunwater, including relevant consultant advisors

Sunwater and CRG members acknowledge Traditional Custodians and pay respects to Elders at the start of each meeting. Sunwater also acknowledges that the discussions, feedback raised and outcomes at each reference group meeting do not necessarily indicate agreement or endorsement by all reference group members or the community groups they represent.

Burdekin Falls Dam Community Reference Group Terms of Reference (updated March 2021).

Meeting summary

For information or enquiries, please call 1800 325 145 or email burdekin.projects@sunwater.com.au.

If you are a news agency or journalist with questions about the projects, please contact Sunwater’s media team via phone on (07) 3120 0047 or email media@sunwater.com.au.