Mt Rawdon Pumped Hydro Project concerns from Bundaberg farmers

With 24,000ML of Burnett water on the line, Bundaberg farmers have expressed concerns about how the Mt Rawdon Pumped Hydro Project will affect Paradise Dam’s water security.

Judy Plath and Michael McMahon have said that with the help of local farming groups, they have written to the Queensland Coordinator-General asking that “the Terms of Reference for the EIS for the Mt Rawdon Pumped Hydro Project consider a range of factors which are important to the farming community”.

Bundaberg farmers have raised their concerns that the Mt Rawdon Pumped Hydroelectricity Project near Mt Perry will be taking 24,000ML of water from Paradise Dam.

The dam, which was damaged from the region’s record flooding event in 2013, is still being repaired with no indication of when it will be fixed, according to Childers cane and soybean farmer, Judy Plath.

Mrs Plath has become concerned about what impact the project would have on the reliability of Bundaberg’s irrigation system “especially while Paradise Dam is still at its lowered height and SunWater are releasing water to begin the repairs on the dam wall”.

The region‘s farmers were restricted to 22 per cent of their water supply in 2021, and they are concerned the impacts of the Mt Rawdon project will cause that to happen again.

Bundaberg MP Tom Smith said “Paradise Dam was built for our farmers and its priority for me continues to be serving the water usage for our local growers”.

“The Mount Rawdon Project does have the potential to greatly benefit the region; however, I have expressed that it must not come at a disadvantage to local growers.

“I have recently met with officials from the proposed Mt Rawdon project and am pleased to say that they accepted my offer to facilitate a meeting and briefing with the Paradise Dam Reference Group through SunWater.”

Mrs Plath said the allocation was caused by “the release of water from Paradise Dam for safety works and low rainfall in the catchment”.

“What’s to stop us finding ourselves in that situation again, especially if the reserve water is given away to a large industrial user?”

Childers cane and soybean farmer Judy Plath has long stood by the “Save Paradise Dam,” cause, since she protested for its restoration in 2020.

Mrs Plath became concerned about the Mt Rawdon Hydro Project’s impact on Paradise Dam’s water security, after reading a report which outlined how the project’s water supply would be taken out of the “reserve’ water for the Burnett system.

According to the report, the 24,000ML of water from the dam will be pumped into from Mt Perry’s soon to be retired gold mine, which will be converted into a storage hold, and will be used to generate hydro-electric power for the region.

Macadamia grower Michael McMahon also voiced his concern about the future reliability of Paradise Dam.

“Irrigated agriculture in the Bundaberg region generates hundreds of millions of dollars of income for the Queensland economy every year and supports thousands of local jobs,” Mr McMahon said.

“Companies are choosing to invest in the Bundaberg region because of its strong reputation for good soil, good climate and, most importantly, water security.

“If we don’t have good rainfall in the Burnett catchment during the rebuilding period for Paradise Dam, the water that is being released cannot be replaced.”

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Mr McMahon said that “with a smaller dam, the risk of it running dry was very real and how will that affect Bundaberg’s reputation as a reliable farming district?”

The report also stated the project did not warrant an Environmental Impact Statement, which Mr McMahon said was concerning, given the “complexity of the project, and the potential risks to the region arising from the proposal”.

“The EIS process gives the general community an opportunity to comment on the details of their proposal,” he said.

Judy Plath and Michael McMahon have said that with the help of local farming groups, they have written to the Queensland Coordinator-General asking that “the Terms of Reference for the EIS for the Mt Rawdon Pumped Hydro Project consider a range of factors which are important to the farming community”.