Lockyer Valley & Somerset Water Security Scheme
The objective of the Lockyer Valley and Somerset Water Security Scheme (LVSWSS) is to make more water available for agriculture and other water-reliant industries in the Lockyer Valley and Somerset regions, significantly boosting production, enhancing food security and generating thousands of local jobs.
The project will supplement existing ground water with sustainable and reliable irrigation water delivered through a pipeline network. Access to this new reliable water will not only yield economic growth, but will have flow-on benefits to the environment.
New reliable water has been proven nationally and abroad to:
· Deliver resilience to growers;
· Reduce negative environmental impacts;
· Enable growing of new commodity lines; and transition into higher value cropping; and
· Offer expansion and export opportunities, with potentially higher margins and longer-term contracts.
The project proposes to source water from the Bundamba Advanced Water Treatment Plant, either directly or via Wivenhoe Dam, and connect to the three existing dam storages of Atkinsons Dam, Lake Clarendon and Lake Dyer. Water is then distributed from the existing dams to water users via a new pump and pipeline distribution network.
The 2020 Jacobs Detailed Business Case identifies the following elements for the proposed pump and pipeline network:
- 10 pump stations;
- 297km of pipeline;
- Connections to 152 customers;
- Delivers 34,000ML of water per annum;
- Includes 7-14MW of solar power; and
- Requires on-farm water storage.
The Jacobs Detailed Business Case found the economic benefits of the project outweigh the infrastructure investment costs and more than 2000 long-term jobs would be created as a result of the LVSWSS.
The South East Queensland City Deal has provided $10M to undertake significant work that will progress the proposed project. The project team is currently reviewing and updating the project costings and undertaking optimisation assessments.
The LVSWSS will provide a secure and sustainable future for growers and industrial water users, enabling them to meet growing demand for quality fresh produce here in Australia and the rest of the world, and allowing them to expand production in an increasingly variable climate.
