$187m Wivenhoe line needs repairing

Vital link to emergency water supply needs parts from overseas

TOOWOOMBA may not be able to access its emergency water supply from Wivenhoe Dam in time for when it is estimated it may be needed.

Toowoomba Regional Council has confirmed that recent maintenance checks revealed parts from overseas would be needed to get the $187 million pipeline up and running again.

The council estimated with our dams currently below 40 per cent, water would be “required” to be pumped up the range by March.

TOOWOOMBA’S vital pipeline to an emergency water supply may not be fixed in time to begin pumping when the council estimates it will be needed.

Toowoomba Regional Council confirmed that after recent maintenance checks on the $187 million pipeline from Wivenhoe Dam, “minor” damage was assessed which required parts to be flown in from overseas.

TRC says on its website it expects water from Wivenhoe Dam to be “required” as early as March after the region’s water levels dropped below 40 per cent this month.

The council did not detail a timeline for the repairs when asked by The Chronicle and said the pipe coupling seal in question needed to be replaced before normal operation of the pipeline could start.

“Testing has been conducted and maintenance performed as part of the recommissioning process with only minor repairs required which is not unusual for an asset that is almost nine years old,” a statement from councillor Nancy Sommerfield said.

“The seal is being sourced through a New South Wales distributor which includes parts manufactured in South Africa. Additional spares have been sourced for future ongoing maintenance with the total cost of parts and freight less than $3000.”

The line was built amid fears the city would run out of water a decade ago, with the council still paying off a $60 million loan from the State Government to construct it.

Ratepayers’ money has been used to pay SEQ Water for access to the water annually since the line was built in 2010.

No water has flowed up the range in that time.

The council last week said it could soon renegotiate the terms of its deal with SEQ Water.

Under the current arrangement, TRC can pump 10,000 megalitres a year should the region’s dams drop below 40%.

The dams are currently at their lowest levels since before the 2011 floods.