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ANNOUNCED ALLOCATIONS
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Bundaberg
Scheme
Announced Allocations
(Burnett)
(Burnett)
(Kolan)
(Kolan)
Storages
Water Pricing
Scheme information
About
The Bundaberg Scheme supplies water to farmlands and communities in Burnett, Kolan and Isis Shire as well as Bundaberg city. The scheme sources water from Fred Haigh and Paradise dams.
Burnett Water
Burnett Water Pty Ltd (BWPL) became a subsidiary company of Sunwater on 16 December 2005 after Sunwater bought all the shares in the company from the Queensland State Government.
BWPL was set up by the State Government in 2001 to progress much needed water infrastructure in the Wide Bay-Burnett region. The water infrastructure construction projects developed by Burnett Water were Paradise Dam and Kirar Weir.
Paradise Dam is located 80 km from Bundaberg and makes available 124,000 megalitres of Medium Priority and 20,000 megalitres of High Priority Water Allocations. Kirar Weir is situated on the Burnett River, five km from Eidsvold, and makes available 20,000 megalitres of Medium Priority Water Allocations.
How the scheme works
- More than 600 km of channel and pipeline distribute supplies to more than 1000 properties.
- The scheme consists of seven distinct channel systems that supplement or replace demand for groundwater in the district.
- More information about the scheme is available in a fact sheet located here.
Water uses
- Irrigation water for crops including sugar cane, tomatoes, rockmelons, watermelons, capsicum, zucchini, beans, macadamia nuts and avocadoes.
- Urban water supply for Bundaberg and communities in the Burnett, Kolan and Isis shires.
- Industrial water for various enterprise including sugar mills.
Out of allocation water events
Storage level management of Paradise Dam will be required from March 2023.
Releases that can't be held in downstream storages will be made available at no cost to Burnett River sub-scheme customers as out-of-allocation (OOA) events.
More information on how Burnett River sub-scheme customers can access the OOA water is available here.
Options to reintroduce water for sale during the Paradise Dam Improvement Project
The Paradise Dam Improvement Project (PDIP) will see the dam returned to its original height, as part of significant safety improvement works.
Sunwater created the below video, a Fact Sheet, and held information sessions in November 2022 on options to reintroduce water for sale during the PDIP.
Feedback indicated that while there is interest in purchasing water in the future, customers do not want to risk undermining security of current allocations by reintroducing water for sale.
Sunwater has no current plans to sell new permanent water from the Burnett River sub-scheme and will continue to engage with customers as planning for the new dam wall progresses.
Previous opportunistic access to Paradise Dam water releases
Following the completion of the lowering activity at Paradise Dam in 2021, the dam is now able to fill to the temporary crest level.
Previous water release events occurred during:
- September to December 2019
- February to June 2020.
Scheme management
Sunwater must comply with the conditions set out in the Bundaberg Water Supply Scheme Resource Operations Licence (ROL), issued to Sunwater in July 2006 by our portfolio shareholding department. The ROL outlines the infrastructure details, environmental release rules and all Sunwater’s monitoring and reporting obligations. The ROL also requires Sunwater to operate in accordance with an operations manual that is approved by our portfolio shareholding department. The operations manual outlines rules for the operation of infrastructure associated with the Bundaberg scheme as well as water sharing rules and seasonal water assignment (temporary trade) rules.
The Bundaberg Water Supply Scheme ROL Operations Manual was issued in February 2020. An amendment which commenced on 1 July 2020 was approved by DRDMW on 20 March 2020. A statement of changes to the operations manual can be found on the second page of this manual.
Sunwater focuses our resources towards timely and cost-efficient delivery of water to customers in the Bundaberg scheme. We collaborate with our customers to ensure we understand their needs, adapt quickly to changes in the environment and make the most of the available water supply. To best manage water delivery, arrangements for taking of water within the Scheme have been developed in consultation with its Irrigator Advisory Committee.
Taking water from the scheme
The water ordering system assists Sunwater in delivering water to its customers in an efficient and timely way, enabling them to plan and manage their water use.
Before taking any water, customers should place a water order so that Sunwater can release sufficient water and minimise losses.
Customers who take water without ordering may reduce Sunwater’s ability to supply customers who have ordered according to the above requirements.
To place an order
Customers can place their orders via:
- SunwaterOnline.
- Sunwater Customer Support on 13 15 89.
Further information about ordering water is detailed in Bundaberg’s Rules and Targets.
Stopping or restricting supply
Sunwater may suspend or restrict supply in a number of circumstances, including:
- during maintenance of Sunwater’s assets
- during a peak demand period, when rosters or rations may apply
- when the demand for water is so small it is impractical to supply it
- when there is a need to make special releases to maximise efficiency at times of limited supply
- during rain shutdown
- infrastructure limitations which make delivery impractical
- if supply could cause Sunwater to break the law
- when operating under special notices or regulations issued by the Department of Natural Resources and Mines e.g. Water Amendment Regulation (No. 3) 2006.
Weather events and emergency shutdowns
Sunwater asks that customers notify their duty Water Officer, as soon as possible, of any rain event or other circumstances that substantially lessens their water requirements. When widespread general rain exceeds 40 mm in a day over the Bundaberg Water Supply Scheme, the duty Water Officer may shut the system down.
Customers are also asked to cancel orders if they no longer require ordered water.
For more information contact
If you experience an equipment or power failure emergency, please give immediate notice to Sunwater by calling Sunwater Customer Support on 131589, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Bundaberg’s Irrigator Advisory Committee
The Bundaberg Irrigator Advisory Committee is a group of irrigators within the scheme who have been elected by irrigation customers to represent their interests in relation to scheme operations and water supply issues and improvements with Sunwater.
The committee:
- provides advice and recommendations to Sunwater regarding scheme operational issues
- represents the interests of the broader irrigator base in respect of Sunwater’s ongoing operation of the water supply scheme
- provides a mechanism for Sunwater and its customers to raise and discuss matters of mutual interest in relation to the management of the physical aspects of the scheme and customer relationship issues.
- work collaboratively with Sunwater to identify and introduce new approaches and improvements to water management.
Committee members
| Name | Position | Representative Area/Section |
| Mark Mammino | Chairman | Canegrowers Isis Ltd |
| Vacant | Committee Member | Kolan River |
| Peter McLennan | Committee Member | Burnett River |
| Tyler Bengston | Committee Member | Gin Gin |
| Peter Russo | Committee Member | Isis Channel System |
| Mark Pressler | Committee Member | Woongarra Channel System |
| Vacant | Committee Member | Gooburrum Channel System |
| Kelvin Griffin | Committee Member | Canegrowers Bundaberg |
| Bree Grima | Committee Member | Bundaberg Fruit & Vegetable Growers Cooperative (tree crops) |
| Jason Bartells | Committee Member | Bundaberg Regional Council |
| John Gorringe | Committee Member | Isis Central Sugar Mill |
| Angela Williams | Observer | Canegrowers Isis |
| Dale Hollis | Observer | Bundaberg Regional Irrigators Committee |
| Simon Doyle | Committee Member | Bundaberg Sugar |
Stay up to date with the Bundaberg Irrigator Advisory Committee.
Announced Allocations
Water Year: 2025/2026
Burnett Sub-scheme
High priority: 100%
Medium priority: 100%
Announced Allocations effective 1 July 2025 and applicable until revised and communicated by Sunwater.
2024/2025 to 2025/2026 Carryover Parameters – approved carryover volumes will be advised once the previous water year has been finalised.
For more information about the scheme’s carryover conditions click here.
Kolan Sub-scheme
High priority: 100%
Medium priority: 100%
Announced Allocations effective 1 July 2025 and applicable until revised and communicated by Sunwater.
2024/2025 to 2025/2026 Carryover Parameters – approved carryover volumes will be advised once the previous water year has been finalised.
For more information about the scheme’s carryover conditions click here.
| Kolan Bulk Capacity Share (ML) | Burnett Bulk Capacity Share (ML) | |
| 2025 | ||
| July | 430,479 | 80,913 |
Bulk Capacity Share account volumes are calculated to incorporate temporary transfer volumes to ensure both announced allocation and temporary transfer water is accounted for across the two sub-schemes.
Customers are advised to obtain information about their remaining water allocation balance by accessing Sunwater Online.
For more information or enquiries, phone 13 15 89 or email customersupport@sunwater.com.au.
History of Announced Allocations
Operational Report
Sunwater releases periodic operational reports detailing Announced Allocation levels and individual storages’ breakdowns within each scheme, the latest of which can be found below.
Service and Performance Plans
Sunwater prepares an annual Service and Performance Plan (S&PP) for each irrigation service contract area. S&PPs replace the former annual Network Service Plans and annual Performance Reports.
We have updated the naming convention for S&PPs to improve clarity and alignment with plan content. The new convention references the year in which the S&PP is published (or should have been published). Publication should occur within six months of the end of a financial year.
For further information about this service, please visit the Service and Performance Plan page.
Bundaberg Bulk Supply
Bundaberg Bulk Supply
2021 Service and Performance Plan (originally published as the 2023 Service and Performance Plan)
Download
Bundaberg Bulk Supply
2020 Service and Performance Plan (originally published as the 2022 Service and Performance Plan)
DownloadBundaberg Distribution
Scheme news
Scheme updates and fact sheets
Current volumes available for temporary transfer per operational zone
End of water year newsletters
Interruption to water supply notices
To find out more about the herbicide Sunwater uses to treat aquatic weeds during planned channel shutdowns and interruptions to water supply, click here.
2025
Interruption to water supply - Woongarra Gravity and Relift Surface Water System
February 2025
Download2024
Interruption to water supply - Pine Creek Road to Isis Storage Surface Water System
October 2024
Download
2023
2022
Interruption to water supply - Interruption to water supply - Pine Creek Road to Isis Storage Surface Water System
December 2022
Download
Interruption to water supply - Interruption to water supply - Isis main channel
December 2022
Download
Interruption to water supply - Interruption to water supply - Isis Main Channel, Farnsfield, Childers, Logging Creek and Dinner Hill Surface Water Systems
December 2022
Download
Interruption to water supply - Interruption to water supply - Bingera main channel
November 2022
Download
Interruption to water supply - Interruption to water supply - Gin Gin main channel
November 2022
Download
Interruption to water supply - Interruption to water supply - Lower Isis main channel
September 2022
Download
Interruption to water supply - Interruption to water supply - Upper Isis main channel
September 2022
Download
Interruption to water supply - Gooburrum, Booyan, and Moore Park main channel system annual shutdown
June 2022
Download
Interruption to water supply - Alloway and Woongarra main channel system annual shutdown
June 2022
Download
2021
Cancelled - Interruption to water supply - Booyan and Moore Park surface water system planned shutdown
November 2021
Download
Interruption to water supply - Woongarra gravity & relift surface water system planned shutdown
November 2021
Download
Interruption to water supply - Booyan and Moore Park Main Channel planned shutdown
September 2021
Download
Scheme history
Bundaberg Water Supply Scheme
Perhaps more than any other town in Queensland, Bundaberg is synonymous with the sugar industry. But with only about 1000 mm of annual rainfall, the area is one of the driest environments for growing sugar in Australia.
In the 1960s two things contributed to a growing water need — the amount of cane being farmed doubled as world demand for sugar soared, and three serious droughts in 1964, 1965 and 1969. As a result, the underground water source that agriculture in the region had primarily relied upon, dwindled and salinity started to rise.
In 1970, the Queensland Government implemented a two-stage plan to provide reliable water for the district. Today the scheme consists of more than 600 km of channels and pipelines, Fred Haigh and Paradise dams, Ned Churchward and Bucca weirs, and two barrages to supply water to more than 1,100 farms, the city of Bundaberg, and several other communities in the Burnett, Kolan and Isis shires.