Longer wait for dam report

A crucial State Government report on Stanthorpe's urban water security is nowhere in sight.

By Jeremy Sollars

A REPORT on Stanthorpe’s urban water security – seen as the next critical turning point in the Emu Swamp Dam saga – could be weeks or even months away.
The Queensland Department of Energy and Water Supply (DEWS) says the Regional Water Supply Security Assessment for Stanthorpe has been completed but is still awaiting public release.
Mayor Tracy Dobie told the media a fortnight ago the Southern Downs Regional Council had been anticipating the release of the report within a couple of weeks, to enable decisions to be made about further investigation into the controversial Emu Swamp Dam proposal.
But DEWS spokeswoman Linda Dobe, the Director of Water Supply Planning Strategy, told the Free Times yesterday it was impossible to put a timeframe around the release of the report at this stage, when asked about when we could expect to see the crucial report in the public arena.
“The report is now going through a final approval process and we are not able to say how long this might take,” Ms Dobe said.
DEWS has undertaken similar water security assessments for other centres and regions over the last couple of years, including Cairns, Townsville, South-East Queensland and the Whitsundays.
The DEWS report is expected to provide a detailed assessment of Stanthorpe’s current and projected urban water security and recommendations for future actions by all levels of government.
Information in the report will help the council to determine the best use of $3.97m in Federal funding recently allocated for further studies into the feasibility and detailed costing of a dam at Emu Swamp on the Severn River.
Previous estimates have put the cost at anywhere between $70m and $120m, but those figures are not based on any detailed design, which is yet to be produced.
The DEWS report is not expected to address any potential irrigation component of any future dam for Stanthorpe.