Council endorses Water for the Lockyer Detailed Business Case

On the recommendation of the Lockyer Valley & Somerset Water Collaborative, the Lockyer Valley and Somerset Water Security Scheme Business Case prepared by Jacobs Australia Group, has been accepted and adopted by the Lockyer Valley Regional Council.

At its special meeting on 4 December 2020, Council considered the findings of the 12-month long $1.4m study and endorsed the Detailed Business Case for 297km of pipeline to distribute additional water around the Lockyer Valley.

Mayor Tanya Milligan was excited to see this important phase of the project completed and said that the Business Case will now be submitted to the Queensland Government for their consideration and financial commitment.

The intent is for the Government to consider the Business Case over the Christmas period, Mayor Milligan said.

On receiving feedback from the Queensland Government in the new year, the Water Collaborative will then convene a stakeholder meeting in early February.

Mayor Milligan acknowledged the invaluable contribution of members of the Lockyer Valley and Somerset Water Collaborative.

I commend the commitment of Council staff to bringing the project this far and I particularly applaud those members who have committed their time voluntarily, she said.

The proposed $200m scheme requires the recommissioning of the purified water plant at Bundamba and overarches 34,000 ML of demand for new water from 150 customers. The scheme includes 10 pump stations and up to 10mw of solar energy, which helps lower the ongoing operational costs of pumping water.

Funding for this project was provided by the Queensland Government Department of State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning, through the $30 million Maturing the Infrastructure Pipeline Program.