The Queensland Government Statewide Water Policy commits $496 million toward regional water projects, to complement the South East Queensland Water Grid and improve water supplies in regional and rural Queensland.

Key components of the Statewide Water Policy investment include:

• $222 million for dams and weirs
• $198 million for channels and pipelines
• $45 million to promote demand-management strategies in homes and businesses
• $31.5 million to investigate alternative water sources such as new ways to use groundwater, stormwater and water produced from coal seam gas mining.

There are 11 regional water infrastructure projects identified within the Statewide Water Policy. The majority of these projects are in the early stages of development, and are subject to further investigation and feasibility studies.

These projects follow the success of the $300 million Moranbah Pipeline projects that have already begun to deliver water to towns and mines in the Northern Bowen Basin.

In August 2007 the Burdekin to Moranbah Pipeline was opened and is expected to enable increased coal production of up to 60 million tonnes from the resource-rich Bowen Basin. The Moranbah Pipeline projects involve two smaller pipelines:

• a 50 kilometre eastern pipeline from Moranbah to Coppabella commissioned in November 2006
• a 70 kilometre southern pipeline from Moranbah in the direction of Dysart.

Further information

For further information see water projects.