Ramping up water fight as funds flow to dams

NOVEMBER 19, 2018: AN additional $500 million boost to build dams and irrigation projects and drought-proof the nation could provide the funding needed to build Urannah Dam, and raise the Burdekin Dam Wall to its intended height. The funding boost announced today by Acting PM Michael McCormack takes the total funding available for water infrastructure to $3.3 billion, and it couldn't come at a better time for the Urannah Dam project.We secured $3 million for Bowen Collinsville Enterprise to conduct pre-construction studies on building Urannah Dam and that study is almost complete.The initial indications are that Urannah Dam has the potential to supply more than 1.5 million mega litres of water and open up more than 40,000 hectares of prime agricultural land.It can help facilitate 20 new resource projects, 16 existing mines, generate more than 1000 megawatts of renewable energy.Building Urannah would transform Bowen and Collinsville.As for the Burdekin Dam, raising the dam wall substantially – by 14.6 metres – would open up new irrigation areas south of the Burdekin to Bowen and potentially west of the Burdekin.However it appears the State Labor Government is determined to proceed with a two-metre raising of the dam wall which will destroy all future opportunities to significantly raise the dam and increase the water capacity.I will not be supporting one red cent of this money going towards a two-metre raising of the Burdekin Dam Wall as it will kill the great prospects for the dam and future agricultural opportunities.Through the National Water Infrastructure Development Fund, the Morrison Government has committed more than $426 million on key water infrastructure projects in Queensland.The Fund’s expansion to more than $1 billion, in addition to the existing $2 billion National Water Infrastructure Loan Facility program, means more than $3 billion is now available from the Federal Government to support State and Territory Governments and their project partners, to build new water infrastructure and provide greater social and economic opportunity for Australians.