Basin-wide concerns

ENVIRONMENTAL studies into two of the region’s big dam projects have been widened after growing community concern about their cumulative effects as well as downstream impacts.

The state government has released the terms of reference for environmental impact statements into both the Burdekin Falls Dam Raising and Urannah Dam projects.

North Queensland Conservation Council Burdekin Basin asin c o m m i t t e e head John Connell said in- cluding assessment of the cumulative im- pacts of current and proposed projects was a good outcome and a significant change from what was originally planned.

It was also a step towards improved basin-wide management, he said.

He expected the terms of reference of studies into two other schemes, the Big Rocks Weir and the Hells Gates Dam, to also be required to assess cumulative impacts.

“In the past each project would have been assessed independently,” Mr Connell said.

He said the change was forcing proponents to look sideways not just at their own activity but at what would happen if all projects came online.

“They are going to have to get together and talk to each other,” Mr Connell said.

The government said a key issue raised by the community for the Burdekin Falls Dam Raising project was the potential cumulative impact of multiple water infrastructure projects.

These included potential impacts on river flows, sediment transport, groundwater and aquatic fauna.

It said the terms of reference had also been amended to include matters raised in submissions relating to the assessment of climate change impacts, dam f failure risk and t the project’s c cost- benefit a assessment. Wh While 69 submissions had been lodged on the draft terms of reference for the Burdekin project, Mr Connell said more than 200 submissions had been lodged for the Urannah project.

At a Townsville Enterprise webinar last year, the CEO of federal agency North Queensland Water Infrastructure Authority, Richard Mcloughlin, said strategic basin-scale thinking was needed.

John Bearne, the project manager of business case studies into the Hells Gates Dam and associated Big Rocks Weir, had said all the proposed projects were great stand-alone schemes but needed to be considered as a whole under the Burdekin Basin water plan.

The The Burdekin Burdekin Falls Falls Dam Dam in in flood. flood.