Townsville City Council provides update on Haughton Pipeline Stage 2

Townsville City Council is waiting on approvals and preparing for construction of the Haughton Pipeline Stage 2.

TOWNSVILLE City Council is waiting on federal environmental approvals to move forward with the construction of the Haughton Pipeline Stage 2.

As the city prepares for a dry winter coupled with stronger water restrictions after lacklustre wet season, long-term water security planning has resurfaced as a key issue.

The Haughton Pipeline project, which expected to cost $274m, will connect the Ross River Dam to a new pumping station on the Burdekin River, near Clare, and provide a back-up for the Ross River Dam.

Stage 1 was completed in 2020.

Acting Mayor Mark Molachino said the council was finalising land use agreements and was almost through the environmental approval process – however, it was still waiting for the rubber stamp.

Cr Molachino said the development of the pipe had “dragged on” for years, using the existing infrastructure to bring water into the dam when capacity dropped.

Cr Molachino said the councillors said during the last council term, a push to provide long-term water security became key as the region went through a period of low rainfall.

He said the pumping capacity of the new Haughton Pipeline, when complete, would be just over 300 megalitres a day.

“In the hottest part of the year, when everyone is sweltering and watering their grass, I think we’ve gotten up to around 240ML,” Cr Molachino said.

“So when you’re pumping 150ML, and people are using (that much water), you see the value of the dam.”

Cr Molachino said the construction of the development had been delayed due to disagreements between the state and federal government over GST allocations – with the Queensland government now funding the full project.

This also meant the workers on the ground were not able to complete stage one of the pipeline, then move immediately on to stage two.

Cr Molachino added that the council was having capability issues with contractors, similar to much of the country when it came to construction.

“We’re trying to prioritise our contractors,” he said.

Tenders have been called for the project, but not finalised.

WATER WOES: Why restrictions are likely on the way

HARSHER water restrictions may be on the cards following a lacklustre wet season that has led to the Ross River Dam dropping below 50 per cent.

Townsville City Council has already begun discussions about how low dam capacity level would need to drop to consider further water restrictions.

An uncharacteristically dry wet season has led to the dam water capacity sitting at just 48.2 per cent.

Depending on a number of circumstances, council may start pumping from the Haughton River if levels drop below 20 per cent, costing tens of thousands of dollars a day.

The Bulletin understands Townsville would reach the trigger point, 15 per cent capacity, in about February 2023.

But there would be measures put in place to reduce consumption with water restriction until that point: level one restrictions at 40 per cent, level two restrictions at 30 per cent, and level three restrictions at 20 per cent.

Ross River Dam.

Acting Mayor Mark Molachino said there was some time before the dam was at a concerning level.

“We can only hope that we’re going to get some sort of rain in the interim,” Mr Molachino said.

A La Nina year meant North Queensland was expecting to experience significant rainfall, but the majority of the state’s rain has fallen in the southeast corner.

While a cyclone is primed to form off Queensland’s coast, it is not expected to bring any rain to the state.

Mr Molachino said water usage was high in summer as residents refilled pools, when irrigation use was high and evaporation accounted for water loss.

“It is concerning when you get to lower water at any point,” he said. “We go through this every couple of years – ’19 we didn’t have to worry about water, but now we’re (three) years down the track.

Cr Mark Molachino - Deputy Mayor of Townsville. Picture: Alix Sweeney

“We will make a decision based on usage that we can see people are using, based on the level of the dam and when we need to switch those pumps on to maintain (water levels).”

The Acting Mayor said there was also a monetary downside to water restrictions, with turning irrigation and plumbing infrastructure off, often leading to maintenance bills.

“It is like your car, when you keep it running for ages, use it every day, and then you go away for six months … and come back and start it again, sure the battery is going to be flat,” he said.

When the dam gets to a certain point, the council is able to pump water from the Haughton to maintain the water level.

However, Mr Molachino said it cost tens of thousands of dollars a day.

“When we switch the pumps on, normally we’ll have a level of restrictions that are current that correlates to what we can pump and what people can use,” he said.

Originally published as Townsville City Council provides update on Haughton Pipeline Stage 2