New dam pump will cost $25m

TOOWOOMBA Mayor Paul Antonio says large-scale manufacturing and horticulture projects have stalled because they cannot lock in longterm water security.

To break the bottleneck, he is calling on the Queensland Government to fund a $25 million upgrade to the pump that feeds the Wivenhoe Pipeline.

“That pipeline can carry up to 18,000 megalitres (a year), but with the pump we have we are only able to pump 10,000 megalitres,” he said.

Yesterday Cr Antonio secured the backing of his fellow councillors to start lobbying the State Government for an upgrade.

Along with greater capacity, a new pump would also floodproof our water supply.

“In a one-in-a-100 year flood, our current pumping station would go underwater,” Cr Antonio said.

A new pump would give the council the capacity to move more water around the region and to top up smaller dams as needed.

“I have spoken to many people who have plans for the future and very often those plans are thwarted because they are not confident we have the water available,” he said.

This includes large-scale indoor farming and other labour-intensive projects that will boost local employment.

Cr Antonio, along with a group of Darling Downs mayors, were due to have talks with the former Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack about funding the project before he was ousted in favour of Barnaby Joyce.

Those talks are yet to resume.

In the meantime, Cr Antonio will approach the Premier’s office and the Queensland Minister for Water, Glenn Butcher.

“I am very happy with where we got to today as we go on this journey to secure our water future,” he said.