The anxiety of a too dry season in the Southern Downs is accelerating the seemingly never-ending debate about water security for the region.
To add to the anxiety, the state government recently paused the construction of the Toowoomba to Warwick pipeline. While not a perfect solution, and promising water to the least needy part of the shire, it did at least signal support.
Residents on both sides of the border have observed dying trees, thirsty wildlife, distressed fish in reduced dams. Some have asked for weekly dam updates, and other for links to financial help.
We cannot control the cycle of droughts, but we can prepare for them. Many residents are frustrated no tangible outcomes have transpired since the last drought. This is not entirely true; there have been numerous changes on both sides of the border including new and improved bores, water restrictions, smart metres, efficient infrastructure, and expanded recycling.
“People have sort of been offered very simplistic solutions to a very, very complex thing,” said a Stanthorpe resident. “We’ve got the inevitability of a diminishing supply of water and a growing set of demands, and that requires an intelligent, well-informed discussion.”
Indeed, there is going to be a lot of components to any kind of solution. It is not a matter of pipeline versus Emu Swamp Dam. Neither should it be politicised on either a local or a state level.
It is no secret that that has historically been the case and very little has changed.
The pause to the Toowoomba to Warwick pipeline underscored this with Water Minister Ann Leahy’s office arguing that the project has been ‘staged’ thanks to concerns raised by Mayor Melissa Hamilton and “the broader community” about “cost implications”.
MP James Lister also suggested that Mayor Hamilton was ‘briefed’ on the pause as early as November last year.
Mayor Hamilton is having none of it.
“The Toowoomba to Warwick pipeline has been strongly supported by Council since its announcement in 2019. At no time did Council suggest delaying or staging the project,” she told the Town & Country Journal.
Every council promised new infrastructure by the state or federal government, she says, must question the ongoing costs of maintenance and operations. Furthermore, residents should ultimately pay the same price for water as other shires in South East Queensland.
“That’s our job. But discussions around costs are separate to the timing of the project.”
Mayor Hamilton believes the pipeline should proceed.
“We have sought assurances from the Minister that notwithstanding the staging of the project it can be delivered urgently should conditions require. When it comes to costs, we want to make sure that water is affordable, and that the Southern Downs is treated fairly in comparison to our neighbours in south east Queensland.”
While the pause to the pipeline is newsworthy, it should not eclipse the fundamental reality that it will take major infrastructure plus dozens of smaller changes to systems and behaviours and technology to truly water proof the Southern Downs.
The Town & Country Journal hopes to open a discussion on what some of the drought-resilient measures might look like in future issues.
