Paradise plan relief for growers

In an announcement that irrigators in the Bundaberg and Isis regions had waited two years to hear, the Queensland Government confirmed on Christmas Eve that Paradise Dam will be returned to its original height.

It was the outcome that agriculture groups, including CANEGROWERS, had been calling for to safeguard industry investment and confidence for the future of the region.

Sunwater said, “This decision follows detailed technical investigations, which show it is possible to safely re-raise, strengthen and stabilise the dam wall. This decision will provide a safe dam and water security for the region for years to come.”

Concern about the structural integrity of the dam wall after damage in flooding event in 2011 and 2013 led, after a series of initial works, to the dramatic decision in late 2019 to lower its primary spillway by 5.8 metres.

CANEGROWERS and other organisations spent two years campaigning against the prospect of a permanent loss of water storage capacity in a region with great agricultural potential despite a number of years in drought.

So it was with relief that CANEGROWERS Isis Chairman Mark Mammino welcomed the news in December that an investigation into the options for the dam had led to a decision to reinstate it.

“This decision has enormous implications for the viability of irrigated agriculture,” he said.

“Knowing that the water storage in the region will be there in the future gives everyone confidence to invest. It will protect livelihoods and jobs in the long term.”

Preparatory work for the reconstruction is expected to start in 2023 with major work at the dam to commence in 2024 subject to government approvals. It could take up to seven years for the work to be completed.

In the meantime, Bundaberg Regional Irritator’s Group called on the Queensland Government to take action to better manage water resources and mitigate the impacts of the remediation works on the productivity and profitability of farms including to protect and retain nominal water allocations and remedy impediments to water utilisation.

Sunwater says it will work with customers to alleviate network constraints so that water distribution can keep pace with demand. •