Contingency plans in place if worst drought on record worsens

The State Government will spend $125 million on early works to ensure South East Queensland’s water supply even if all-time record low rainfalls continue, Acting Premier Paul Lucas said today.

Mr Lucas said preliminary works including site selection, surveying, water modelling, environmental studies and geotechnical works would begin shortly on two mobile desalination plants and further expansions to South East Queensland Water Grid projects.

“By starting work straight away, up to an extra 144 megalitres (ML) a day in contingency supplies can be added to the region by the end of next year, which will ensure water security even if the worst drought on record worsens,” Mr Lucas said.

“That’s enough extra water for more than a million people day.”

At the end of the wet season in March/April the State Government will reassess SEQ water security and, if necessary, approve:

• two mobile desalination plants on the Brisbane River, at locations yet to be determined, potentially producing 100ML a day; and
• linking the Loganholme and Sandgate waste water treatment plants to Gibson Island Advanced Water Treatment Plant (part of the Western Corridor Recycled Water Project) to provide, in current conditions, another 44ML of water a day to Wivenhoe Dam.

At the same time the Gibson Island advance water treatment plant will be expanded to meet a full 100ML/day capacity, as previously announced.

“Even if our dams receive the same average inflows we’ve had since 1990, which itself is a third of historic average inflows, the Queensland Water Commission advises combined storage levels would be around 28% after the wet season. At that level it's unlikely we would need to proceed with these emergency desalination measures.

“But it’s like having fire insurance – most people never need to use it but it’s important to have there, just in case. We need to plan for all eventualities and the State Government will undertake an analysis of a number of measures - including wet season rainfalls - before deciding whether these additional desalination projects need to be completed.

“But make no mistake, we are not prepared to wait and risk any disruption to the supply of this most basic of all necessities. We’ve already seen first water flowing from the Western Corridor Recycled Water Projects. We’ve seen massive gains in residential and business demand reduction through the work done by the QWC.

“And on Friday I inspected the newly completed Cedar Grove Weir, which is already storing water that it will begin flowing into the grid by the end of the month.

“By late this year and early next year we’ll have the Western Corridor Recycled Water Project and the Gold Coast desalination plants fully online. Supplies will be further enhanced in 2013 when meaningful flows from the proposed Traveston Crossing Dam and Wyaralong Dam are added to the system.

“These potential contingency measures are another safeguard to ensure that even if worst-drought-on-record rainfalls continue, SEQ will have enough water.

“In 2006-07 - the worst year in more than a century of records - rainfall was not half of the historical average, not 10 per cent of that average, but just 4.4 per cent.

“Nonetheless, undertaking these early works is responsible planning, which means South East Queensland’s water supplies could withstand repeated record low rainfalls.

“In its analysis of extended worst case inflow scenarios, the Queensland Water Commission estimates our dam storage levels could drop to seven percent by 2010 based on 2006/07 inflows, daily usage, evaporation, power needs and additions to the $9 billion water grid as they come online.

“If, and I stress if, the current worst-drought-on-record rainfalls continue, there will be a gap between predicted supply and demand before the proposed Traveston Crossing Dam starts delivering meaningful flows in 2013.

“The contingency measures, if required, will address that gap.

“We need to recognise that there is an extremely low probability of repeated worst-case inflows over three years, let alone over the period until Traveston Crossing Dam would come online. But it’s prudent to have contingency measures that would address that gap.

“The good news is that between June 2007 and November 2007 inflows have already been sufficient to equal 25 per cent of a total average year’s flow. And with good rains over recent weeks seeing combined dam levels increase back above 20 per cent, it is quite possible that the contingency water measures will not be required.”

Mr Lucas said firms Worley Parsons and Transfield Services – the preferred provider for portable Brisbane River desalination facilities – would now begin studies and preliminary work worth $25 million to ensure their proposal could be activated quickly if needed.

“We’ve completed the rigorous tender process for the portable desalination plants so that we can act immediately to bring these options on-line if necessary. The cost of those temporary plants – if they proceed – is around $550 million and they would be ready in late 2009.

“The Western Corridor Recycled Water Project expansion could be on-line by early 2009. But we’ve planned so that if we get further good rains beyond the 2007-08 wet season we can wind back work on this part of the plan.

“All options for short-term water supplies have been investigated. An original list of 28 submissions was short-listed to five earlier this year, three involving desalination and the other two water transport proposals. The options we’ve chosen to pursue further are the most effective in terms of cost and likelihood of success.”

Media inquiries: Robert Hoge 0419 757 868