State announces plan to upgrade and raise Burdekin dam by 2m

A Labor state government has chosen the smallest height option for the raising of the Burdekin Falls Dam.

The Labor state government has opted to restrict the raising of the Burdekin Falls Dam to 2m and questioned the viability of original plans to increase it by 14.6m.

It has also ditched plans to install a hydro-electric power station with Water Minister Glenn Butcher saying they were considering larger pumped storage hydro schemes in the Pioneer Valley near Mackay and the Borumba Dam near Gympie.

Mr Butcher revealed the government’s stance in Townsville on Thursday alongside a separate announcement about the Bradfield Scheme.

Previously, the government has said it would consider a raising of between 2m and 6m, expected to cost between $358m and $665m, while it is also being pressed to ensure the dam, built in 1987, meets new requirements for safety.

The government will include safety improvement works as part of the wall raising.

“The Palaszczuk Labor Government will always support water security projects that stack up, so we’re taking this next step to ensure raising Burdekin Falls Dam benefits our North Queensland communities,” Mr Butcher said.

Burdekin Falls Dam has spilled water for much of 2022. PICTURE: LEX PRIOR.

“Burdekin Falls is the largest dam in Queensland — at more than 1.8 million megalitres capacity — and raising it by 2m will significantly boost the amount of water available to our farmers and other businesses looking to expand their operations.”

Mr Butcher said talk of raising the dam by 14.6m would impact agricultural land, cultural heritage sites and have major impacts on the environment.

Townsville MP Scott Stewart said it was a “fantastic announcement” which would increase the dam’s capacity by 25 per cent and encourage investment, while Thuringowa MP Aaron Harper said the government was investing in Townsville’s water security.

But just when construction will start is unclear.

The government’s statement says an independent asses`might exceed current availability by 2031 and that a 2m raising will address this future need.

Townsville-based Coalition federal MP Phillip Thompson said the announcement demonstrated how both the state and federal Labor governments didn’t care about North Queensland’s long-term water security.

“First, the federal Labor government cancelled Hells Gates Dam and its 10,000 jobs and 60,000 hectares of irrigation. Now it’s chosen the smallest height option for raising the Burdekin Fall Dam wall,” Mr Thompson said.

A Townsville engineer lobbying for a full raising and use of the dam for hydro electricity, Dick Cerny, said all of the land needed for a 14.6m raising had already been acquired by the state government.

He said the lower raising was “wasting the jewel of dams in Queensland”.

Originally published as State announces plan to upgrade and raise Burdekin dam by 2m