By STEVE GRAY
THE contentious $100 million plan for a new dam to supply water to Stanthorpe will go before the Southern Downs Regional Council today (Thursday).
Emu Swamp Dam would be a 10,500 megalitre dam on the Severn River to supply both household use in Stanthorpe and irrigation.
Council will provide direction to its engineering staff as to further development of the concept.
A supplementary Environmental Impact Statement is expected to go to the state Co-ordinator General in October, and, if approved, council will then proceed with design of the dam and resumption of land.
Major proponent of Emu Swamp Dam, Cr Vic Pennisi, said Stanthorpe had been within weeks of running out of water during severe drought in 2007 and preparations had been made to truck water from Warwick.
Cr Pennisi said the dam would aid the growth of the region’s $300 million agricultural industries.
The proposal has progressed only slowly due to concerns over the environmental impact of the dam.
A report by infrastructure specialists Unidel has raised several problems should the dam go ahead.
These include reliability, with the dam only able to guarantee full supply six years out of 10, high evaporation, and unknown impacts of climate change.
Uniden also said cost would be a major problem, with irrigators indicating a willingness to pay $1200 per megalitre when the real cost would be $3600 per megalitre.
