Dams & water

After years of waiting, Donald's long-anticipated flood levee project has reached completion, with construction of the town's second demountable flood barrier recently finished by Eco Infrastructure. The second wall, located on the town side of the Richardson River, has been under construction since April 13. It completes Donald's pair of demountable flood barriers designed to protect the township from future flooding.

The final report of the CSIRO team behind the Northern Rivers Resilience Initiative has been delivered, Scenario testing and recommendations for future flood mitigation activities in the Richmond River catchment in the Northern Rivers region, NSW, Australia. NSW Greens MP and spokesperson for the North Coast, Sue Higginson and Kevin Hogan, Federal Minister for Page, respond notably differently to the Report's findings and recommendations.

Minister Shing announced that desalinated water is now flowing into Cardinia Reservoir, as Melbourne’s storage falls below 64 per cent - the lowest metropolitan storage levels in more than six years ... Without a connection to Melbourne’s water supplies, which are bolstered by the Desalination Plant, Geelong water storages would be under 10 per cent full right now - with severe water restrictions.

Labor's announcement of yet another massive Southern Murray-Darling Basin water buyback is a direct attack on Australian families already buckling under the cost of living, according to One Nation Member for Farrer David Farley ... Mr Farley said that if the 2007 Water Act review, the 2026 Basin review and the national food security work were not being set up as foregone conclusions, Labor would have waited for their findings instead of rushing into another buyback that struggling families and farmers will pay for.

Ned Thomas. Scientists and government authorities are at odds over what a noticeable shift in desalination monitoring data is really showing. The Adelaide Desalination Plant at Lonsdale has come under renewed scrutiny following months of debate about the cause of the harmful algal bloom which has affected South Australian waters.

Newly elected Member for Farrer David Farley used his debut parliamentary question time to quiz Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles about the nation's water. Rather than directing his opening questions to the Environment or Agriculture ministers, Farley targeted the Defence and Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles.

...the trial of the $26.2 m bubble plume project is already making a positive difference by creating warmer temperatures throughout the Severn River’s Pindari Dam storage ... “This project aims to re-establish more natural water temperatures below dams for native fish breeding and growth. The project also ensures that water temperatures from environmental flow releases enhance the health of the river downstream”: Tara Moriarty.

For irrigators across the Riverina and communities across the Far West, the water picture heading into winter 2026 is one that demands close attention. The key dam levels as of 25 May paint a mixed picture. Burrinjuck Dam, which drives allocations for the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area and surrounding districts centred on Griffith, Leeton and Narrandera, is at 38 per cent.

The NSW Labor government has failed to sign the required Deed of Agreement to progress Narrandera's Water Treatment Plant business case, nearly six months after Commonwealth funding was awarded. Member for Cootamundra, Steph Cooke, said the ongoing delay is preventing Narrandera Shire Council from progressing critical work to deliver clean drinking water to the community.

Danny the leak detection dog and his handler set to arrive in the region this May, bringing technology typically used in major city networks to remote communities. “This is the kind of technology you’d usually see in large urban networks, and we’re now trialling it here in Cook Shire,” Mayor Holmes said.

A feasibility study in 2014 looked at the cost of bringing a sewerage system to three of Kyogle’s villages — Tabulam, Wiangaree and Mallanganee. The Three Villages Water/Sewer Update report is back on the Kyogle Council agenda ... Mayor Danielle Mulholland said, “We’ve been talking about this for a long time.”

Toowoomba Regional Council has acquired a property in Westbrook that will be the location of a future water treatment plant ... With the site being acquired for a water treatment plant, Deputy Mayor Rebecca Vonhoff said Council would require funding to progress the project in an accelerated timeframe.

The latest floods have again shown that the ‘data’ used by the bureaucrats in Brisbane for all things water is farcical, or terribly inaccurate at best, The Katter’s Australian Party (KAP) Leader, and Member for Traeger has said ... “The Department simply have no idea how much water there is! They’re the same Department who openly say there isn’t enough water to release to farmers.”

Nanarup has been chosen as the site for the proposed small scale seawater desalination plant, a vital project that will secure the Lower Great Southern region's water future and support its continued growth. Planning for a new, climate-resilient water source began in 2009, with seven potential locations identified between Walpole in the west and areas 50 kilometres east of Albany.

After seeing the devastating flooding firsthand, it’s clear the only new dams in Queensland are to be found against Queensland Rail (QR) tracks! The Katter’s Australian Party (KAP) Leader, and Member for Traeger has said. Large swathes of built-up rail line with poor drainage in the flood affected areas around Julia Creek are acting as dam walls, preventing flood waters from receding. 

A major milestone in construction of the future Alkimos seawater desalination plant has been achieved, with Western Power installing 5km of 132kV underground cabling between the project site and the existing Yanchep substation.

WaterNSW has issued a Red Alert warning for high levels of potentially toxic blue-green algae at Toonumbar Dam, about 30 km west of Kyogle. The Red Alert warning applies only to untreated water at the dam.

Snowy Hydro continues to strengthen its critical role underpinning reliability while enabling Australia's renewable energy transition with the signing of major energy contracts with Aula Energy and TagEnergy, securing new capacity in wind generation and grid-scale battery storage. The long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Aula Energy will see Snowy Hydro procure 120MW of renewable energy from the Carmody's Hill Wind Farm in South Australia.

The minister was impressed by the view of Toonumbar Dam at Bells Bay Campground. When Minister for Local Government Ron Hoenig visited Kyogle on Thursday, October 9, Kyogle Council staff took Mr Hoenig to Bells Bay Campground. “It’s magnificent,” he said. “It’s like a loch in Scotland” ... “It’s a state asset,” he said. Unfortunately Mr Hoenig’s department does not deal with WaterNSW and its drive to dispose of the assets around Toonumbar Dam.