Consultation was scheduled to close last week, but Queensland Minister for Regional Development, Manufacturing and Water Glenn Butcher said late submissions will be accepted until the end of March.
“We know there are many who are working through a range of issues associated with the recent floods and we don’t want those people to lose the opportunity to share their opinion about this important project,” he said.
The proposed pipeline aims to improve Warwick’s drought resilience and provide water supply to Toowoomba regional towns along the route, while ensuring there are no negative impacts to Toowoomba’s water security.
The consultation is targeted to residents of Toowoomba and Southern Downs regional council areas.
Butcher said a common question in the early stages of this consultation process had been about the volume of water being moved through the proposed pipeline.
“Following the recent floods and discussions around Wivenhoe Dam, people have become familiar with the measurement of a Sydney Harbour and how it relates to the volumes of water in Wivenhoe Dam,” he said.
“We know that when the flood storage compartments are not in use, Wivenhoe Dam holds two Sydney Harbours. This proposed pipeline for water supply to the Southern Downs would take up to 2700 megalitres per year, or half a percent of one Sydney Harbour.”
That’s the equivalent of three Olympic swimming pools per day.
Any water supplied to Warwick would be separate to Toowoomba’s allocation from Wivenhoe Dam and would not impact Toowoomba’s water security or supply.
An independent engineer has also been engaged to assess Toowoomba’s ongoing water security and options, so that the community can have confidence in Toowoomba’s water security
“Let me be clear, Toowoomba’s water security will not be under threat,” Butcher said.