Burdekin Falls Dam Raising – Project Stages

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.

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Project Stages

We deliver projects in a staged approach to ensure our proposed scope demonstrates prudent and efficient investment while maintaining public safety and the security of water supply for our customers. Below is an overview of the key project stages and which stage the project is currently in:

The environmental impact statement process

The Queensland Government has approved the planning of a two-metre raise through the progression of an environmental impact statement (EIS).

The EIS will describe and assess:

  • the current environment around the dam
  • potential environmental, economic, and social impacts and benefits of the project
  • how potential impacts can be avoided, minimised, mitigated and/or offset.

Declaration of a coordinated project and EIS terms of reference

Queensland’s Coordinator-General has declared the Burdekin Falls Dam Raising Project a ‘coordinated project’ under Part 4 of the State Development and Public Works Organisation Act 1971 (SDPWO Act).

In April 2021, the Coordinator-General issued the final EIS terms of reference (TOR) to Sunwater. Sunwater has begun the EIS and is addressing the TOR requirements. For more information visit the Coordinator General’s website.

Declaration of ‘controlled action’

To conserve and protect Matters of National Environmental Significance, an action that will have, or is likely to have a significant impact on those values must be referred for assessment to the Australian Government Minister for the Environment. 

Sunwater’s referral notice under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC Act) is available on the Australian Government’s website. The referral includes information about Sunwater, the proposed dam raising and an overview of potential impacts.

The Burdekin Falls Dam Raising Project has been declared a ‘controlled action’ meaning it will require approval under the EPBC Act. This will be assessed under bilateral agreement with the Queensland Government through the environmental impact statement process.

For more information about the referrals under the EPBC Act, visit the Australian Government website or contact the Referrals Gateway team on (02) 6274 2496 or email epbc.referrals@environment.gov.au. Public notifications and consultation will occur during the EIS process. Updates will be provided when these opportunities are available. Further information on the process is available in the EIS fact sheet (updated December 2022).