A DAM SHAME
Frustration at State Government as Nullinga project is left high and dry
THE Nullinga Dam project has been shelved indefinitely by the State Government, with a claim there is not enough demand for the $425 million project.
Building Queensland chief executive Damian Gould said four options were presented for the preliminary business case.
The options included a minimum continuation of water trading in the Mareeba Dimbulah Water Supply Scheme; improving Dimbulah Water Supply Scheme’s rules and operations; modernising the scheme’s distribution system, or designing and building Nullinga Dam for agricultural use.
“Option four was not recommended until a satisfactory level of certainty of demand was met,” he said.
Advance Cairns chairman Trent Twomey said the report’s release raised more questions than answers about the Nullinga Dam project.
“We’ve been waiting for the release of this report for nine months, so we welcome its final release,” he said.
“But we are a bit disappointed to find, though, that key components of the economic and financial modelling have been redacted, so we would actually like the government to release all of the modelling associated with it – not just this redacted version.”
In September last year, MSF Sugar said it would underwrite the estimated $425 million dam project because it was “vital” to the company’s Tablelands expansion plans.
Mr Twomey said the report appeared not to have noted that the country’s largest sugarcane grower would guarantee it would draw water from the proposed dam.
“MSF Sugar have said they would like to have a conversation with the Queensland Government about being a major purchaser of water for the irrigation in the Mareeba- Dimbulah area, but that doesn’t seem to have been reflected in the report, at first glance,” he said.
“All we’ve got is more questions.”
Federal Member for Ken- nedy Bob Katter said it was “immoral” to shelve the plans and leave farmers without much-needed water supplies.
“The Atherton Tablelands will lose trees. Our avocados and our mangoes will not be able to grow,” he said. “It’s crippling the area for now and let’s not even talk about the other agricultural products that will be affected.”
He said the Katter Party would appeal to Parliament on Monday for funds to divert water from the North Johnstone River to parts of the Tablelands.
“Because we’re short on water we need this diversion,” he said.