Water Security

Council is advocating to the state and federal governments on the issue of water security.

Water Security

Council has been advocating to the state and federal governments on the issue of water security since the 2019 drought, which severely impacted our region’s prosperity. Council recently submitted a water package 2026-27 budget submission, with many of the proposed water initiatives requiring a joint approach from both the state and federal governments via the National Water Grid Fund.

Below are the five initiatives that were submitted as part of the Southern Downs drought-proofing package:

  1. Warwick to Stanthorpe pipeline – funding for a detailed business case as recommended by the Queensland Government’s Southern and Darling Downs Regional Water Assessment (RWA)
  2. Connolly Dam safety upgrades
  3. On-farm dam evaporation covers – funding to support a pilot program installing floating evaporation covers on up to 10 on-farm water storages in the Granite Belt to support our horticultural producers
  4. Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) upgrades
  5. Warwick Water Treatment Plant upgrade

These are the first initiatives that will need to be delivered as part of a staged funding approach to deliver generational water infrastructure now and into the future and will form part of a proposed resilience network of connected water sources that would represent a once in a lifetime opportunity to drought-proof the Southern Downs.