Townsville City Council approve staged opening of Ross River Dam for recreational use

Thousands of massive barramundi in Ross River Dam will soon be bending fishing rods after the green light was given for recreational fishing. See when you can wet a line.

Townsville Barramundi Restocking Group president Rhyce Bullimore was looking forward to catching massive barras from the Ross River Dam when it opens for recreational use.

Christmas has come early for recreational fishers after the green light was given for land-based fishing to begin at Ross River Dam in June 2024.

A full meeting of Townsville City Council on Wednesday heard details about a much-anticipated report exploring the options for a potential three-stage opening of Ross River Dam for recreational use over three financial years.

Recommending that the dam be opened for recreational use, a Townsville City Council officer explained the nature of the activities being proposed for each stage.

In the first stage, it was proposed that there be non-contact activities including land-based fishing and walking by June 2024.

That would include creating a fishing platform, pedestrian access and stairways, installing safety lighting and security cameras.

Local fishos Ian Moody and Graham Knight can’t wait to chase barras in Ross River Dam in the new year. Picture: Chris Burns.

It was estimated to cost Townsville City Council $1.2m, with a $270,000 operating cost.

The proposed second stage would allow secondary contact activities including recreational and commercial boating and fishing by June 2025.

This would require the installation of a new boat ramp about 6km south of the dam’s spillway and a 20-30 bay carpark, pedestrian access and optional moorings, at an estimated cost of $4.8m, with an operating cost of $445,000.

Stage three was proposed to broaden access to include primary contact activities like water skiing by June 2026.

This stage would require the installation of UV disinfection infrastructure at the Douglas Water Treatment Facility to meet new, stricter water treatment guidelines, it would come with an estimated cost of $14.5m.

The council owns and manages Ross River Dam as the primary water supply and flood mitigation for Townsville.

Over the years, it has been approached by various community groups and representatives lobbying to activate recreational use at Ross River Dam.

They include Townsville Barramundi Restocking Group, which has been financially supported by the council to stock the dam with 130,000 fingerlings over the past five years.

Townsville Fish Restocking Group president Rhyce Bullimore helped fill Ross River Dam with barramundi over the past five years.

The risks created by recreational activities to the council and the city’s drinking water needed to be balanced against the council’s objective of providing “fit for purpose recreational and open spaces” promoting connection with the natural environment.

With the assistance of the National Health and Medical Research Council’s Guidelines for Managing Risks in Recreational Water and the council’s own internal risk management framework, it identified the risks and controls for recreational activities.

Deputy Mayor Mark Molachino called for an amendment for the officer’s recommendation to combine the second and third stages if council was successful in applying for financial assistance from the state or federal governments to deliver the UV treatment sooner.

The majority of councillors voted in favour of the proposal, with the exception of councillors Russ Cook and Fran O’Callaghan.

Cr Cook was concerned that the staged rollout time frame was too short, while Cr O’Callaghan believed that there was no difference between stages two and three, and shouldn’t be separated.

A public meeting on the issue will take place at Townsville Stadium on November 27.

Originally published as Townsville City Council approve staged opening of Ross River Dam for recreational use