2 Aug 2017
The Queensland Government has released a future bulk water security strategy which aims to improve the balance in the utilisation of existing bulk water infrastructure and new water projects. The ‘Queensland Bulk Water Opportunities Statement’ (QBWOS) outlines the government’s priorities, including an objective to consider projects that will provide regional economic benefits. This is important as water projects may have longer term benefits that may not attract a commercial return in the shorter term.
Data contained in the report indicates that bulk water supplies across the state have more than 270,000 megalitres of uncommitted water that could be made available for sale or lease. It has also been estimated that about 300,000 megalitres of existing water entitlements held in bulk schemes are underutilised. Together these amounts are more than twice the total allocations from Wivenhoe Dam and could be made available for economic development without the need for new bulk water supply infrastructure, subject to the available water being in areas of demand.
The Queensland Farmers’ Federation (QFF) has been driving the agenda to improve how the state utilises water; not only for bulk, but in the irrigation distribution schemes too. There are eight major irrigation distribution schemes and their customers are eager to improve utilisation to drive down water prices.
However, there are a range of factors that affect utilisation of water in addition to holding reserves to manage the impact of drought, and the water-losses in distribution schemes because of evaporation and drainage are significant. Systems to allocate water through the seasons may also limit the amount of water that can be recovered, not to mention unsustainable energy costs are reducing pumping opportunities.
QFF will canvass the views of members and the irrigation sector to provide comment on the implementation of QBWOS, but also encourages individual irrigators to read the statement and have their say: https://www.dews.qld.gov.au/water/initiatives/bulk-water-statement
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