Water Supply Security Strategy

Project Overview

Queensland has a dynamic climate with some of the highest and lowest rainfalls in the country. Planning for a secure water supply is essential in this variable climate to support our industry, agriculture and population growth.

Fraser Coast Regional Council and Wide Bay Water undertook the Fraser Coast Water Supply Security Strategy recognising that water is our most valuable resource and securing adequate water supplies to meet growing demand is essential.

Our Current Water Supplies

The Fraser Coast region sources its drinking water from the two Burrum Weirs and Lenthalls Dam on the Burrum River, and Teddington Weir on Tinana Creek.

Our water supplies rely on rainfall with dams monitored daily by Council’s Wide Bay Water and managed carefully to ensure there is enough water during periods of prolonged dry weather.

To ensure the balance between having water available at all times and the cost to provide water to the community, water restrictions are a widely used method of managing the available water.

Based on current climate and population forecasts, the most recent strategies have identified that our current dams and weirs will provide safe water supply yields for Hervey Bay until at least 2046 and Maryborough until at least 2066.

The Water Supply Security Strategy project reassessed the options available for future water supplies, and when they are required.

Council sought to understand the value the community places on increased water security by determining the community's expectations on the frequency and duration of water restrictions while also considering the potential pricing impacts. The Fraser Coast Water Supply Security Study Strategy Planning Report 2022 was completed by external consultants Stantec (previously Cardno) in early March and endorsed by Council in Late March 2022.

To read more about this project, including the final strategy endorsed by Council, and the project and community engagement objectives, see these documents in the Document Library.

(sunset - Lake Lenthalls (Lenthalls Dam))

Community engagement for Phase 1 has now concluded.

Community Engagement for Phase 1 has now concluded. Council is currently reviewing and considering the community's feedback in preparing the options assessment.

Category : Latest News

Created On : 15 March 2021

Final Report

March 2022
Reviewing Community Input and Draft Report

December 2021
Community Panel Workshop 3

November 2021
Options Assessed for increasing capacity

October 2021
Understanding our current capacity

September - December 2020
Community Engagement Planning

September - November 2020
Community Panel Recruitment

December 2020 - January 2021
Community Panel Workshop 1

January 2021
Community Survey

March 2021
Community Panel Workshop 2

July 2021

Water is a precious resource. It sustains life and is vital for our environment and for food production.

Water is used in so many different ways at home, including drinking, bathing, washing clothes, flushing toilets, watering gardens and filling swimming pools. For Council, providing safe, reliable, efficient water and wastewater services to local residents and businesses is one of our core responsibilities.

Currently, water is purified at four treatment plants and wastewater is treated at eight treatment plants on the Fraser Coast.
Over the next 20 to 30 years, the population of the Fraser Coast is expected to increase significantly, which will impact on how water is provided and how it is used.

Council has a range of strategies underway or in development as part of an overarching Water Resilience Framework.
The framework spans from dams to reuse with the aim of securing our water future on the Fraser Coast.

It’s all about ensuring we have a sustainable, affordable and reliable water future for our community and our environment.

Engagement Panel Recruitment

Fraser Coast Regional Council and Wide Bay Water sought expressions of interest from the community to be part of the engagement panel for the Water Supply Security Study.

The purpose of the engagement panel was to assist Council to plan for future water security in the region. The panel was designed to ensure broad community representation.

Expressions of interest were sought from residents, business owners and industry representatives of the Fraser Coast Region (refer to Terms of Reference for full details).

Expressions of interest to join the community panel are closed.

A community engagement panel was selected as representatives of the community at the start of the project. The panel consists of 35 members of the community and was designed to ensure broad community representation of the Fraser Coast.
The panel has met twice during the project to date. The first workshop was held in February 2021 in person and introduced the project, its necessity and the panels views on water restrictions.
The second session was undertaken in July 2021 by Zoom online meeting and explored the different water source options for long term sustainability and short term emergency measures. The results of the community survey were also shared with the panel at that workshop.
The Community panel met for a thrid time when the options were modelled and the economic and environmental aspects were completed, to provide feedback to Council.