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Councils wants $200m for dam safety project

GHD Cressbrook Dam - Supplied

Toowoomba Regional Council is urging the State and Federal Government to contribute up to $200 million towards the Cressbrook Dam safety improvement project.

Toowoomba Region Mayor Geoff McDonald said water security was critical for the region and a key focus of Council.

“Council’s budget submissions to Federal and State Governments mirror each other in our request for support of up to $200 million,” Cr McDonald said.

“Council’s submission highlights that the CDSIP (Cressbrook Dam Safety Improvement Project) is the largest dam safety project undertaken by a Queensland local government to date and will cost approximately $270 million.

“It says that although Cressbrook Dam’s storage capacity will not increase, this is not routine maintenance and is clearly a betterment project with the objective of complying with Queensland Government regulations.

“The project will improve flood immunity from a 1 in 8000-year event to a 1 in 430,000-year event in accordance with current climate change estimations.

“Despite careful financial planning, Council cannot carry the full cost of the Cressbrook Dam project alone without deferring the planning and delivery of other major projects and potentially reviewing the range and levels of essential local government services required to support a growing Region.

“Council’s strong financial management has been acknowledged by the Queensland Treasury Corporation (QTC), particularly at a time when almost half of Queensland’s councils face financial concerns,” Mayor McDonald said.

“However, even with prudent financial planning, the scale of this project requires external funding to ensure financial sustainability,” he said.

Cr McDonald aid Toowoomba ratepayers should not have to bear the full cost of the project, which ultimately protected landholders outside the Toowoomba Region.

“Our Council needs fair, timely, and untied funding from the State and Commonwealth Governments to deliver the services and facilities our growing communities demand and deserve,’’ he said.

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