Cressbrook Dam spillway: Why ratepayers could be hit twice for multi-billion dollar dam upgrades

A Toowoomba councillor has outlined why ratepayers across the region would be slugged twice for essential dam upgrades, which set to rack up a multi-billion dollar bill across Queensland.

The upgrade to Cressbrook Dam’s spillway will cost $270 million.

Deputy mayor Rebecca Vonhoff has called on the state government to fund the $270 million Cressbrook Dam spillway upgrade, saying it was a “question of fairness” if Toowoomba Regional Council footed the full bill.

Ms Vonhoff made the statement after Toowoomba Regional Council voted unanimously to explore new ways to secure funding for the project, including hiring lobbyists to apply pressure behind the scenes.

The Cressbrook Dam Safety Improvement Project is a mandatory upgrade of the asset’s spillways that must be finished by October 2025.

It will improve flood resilience and protect communities downstream in the Somerset Regional Council during major flood events.

The council has known about the mandate since 2007.

The Department of Water assessed the dam as “high risk”, meaning it requires immediate improvement.

The same law that compels the council to upgrade its dam also affects dams owned by 14 local governments across Queensland, including in Cairns, Mackay, Cloncurry and Gladstone.

Importantly, it also affects Wivenhoe Dam, which is operated by government authority SEQWater.

Wivenhoe upgrades are expected to cost about $6 billion and will be paid by Queensland taxpayers.

Ms Vonhoff said unless the council secured funding support, Toowoomba residents would be hit twice – once as taxpayers feeding in to SEQWater’s bill and again as ratepayers for the Cressbrook bill.

“It is really a question of fairness,” she said.

Toowoomba Deputy Mayor Rebecca Vonhoff is calling on the State Government to fund the $270 million Cressbrook Dam spillway upgrade. Picture: Kevin Farmer.

“As a taxpayers, we will be subsidising that $6 billion amount, we will be subsidising every person in SEQ that drinks water from those dams.

“Are they helping pay for ours?

“Is fair that people in Cairns have to pay twice, that people in Ipswich have to pay twice, that people in Mackay have to pay twice.”

The 14 councils affected by the legislation will meet next week to discuss how they can secure financial support from the state government.

“That fairness question is central to what we are talking about,” Ms Vonhoff said.

“For some councils, they will never be able to pay for these upgrades.”

The council has sent its business case to Water Minister Glenn Butcher, which outlines two scenarios.

The options on the table are either the state providing $100 million or $200 million.

At Tuesday’s meeting the council was told the Department of Water asked for clarification on certain points, and that this updated information was provided.

The state government will enter caretaker mode in October ahead of the election, and it remains to be seen if it will decide on funding before that cut off.

It also remains to be seen whether the LNP, if it wins government, would drop the mandate or provide funding.

Regardless of what happens, someone will have to pay for the upgrade.

“The legislation has been in place while both sides were in government,” Ms Vonhoff said.

“I don’t see legislation changing.”