Pipeline progress for Mount Morgan

Published on 30 March 2022

A permanent water solution for Mount Morgan is another step closer following a thorough review of possible options undertaken by AECOM.

Rockhampton Region Mayor Tony Williams said the Preliminary Evaluation was endorsed by Councillors on 8 March, with a potable water pipeline being the recommended option.

“Now that the Preliminary Evaluation has been endorsed, the next step will be to finalise the Business Case and then from there we will move onto the detailed design which will give us a more detailed picture of what the project cost will be and how it will be delivered,” Mayor Williams said.

“Unfortunately it isn’t a simple, or cheap, process to build a pipeline - Council is not in an economic position to pay for a pipeline without funding assistance from other levels of government, it just isn’t a possibility.

“With any major projects such as this, in order to gain funding support there is a process and number of steps we need to take first – and these include carrying out a Preliminary Evaluation, Business Case, and then Detailed Design. These steps are in line with the Queensland Treasury’s Project Assessment Framework – which is the key to justifying the project and seeking funding support.

“Even though it may be frustrating for the Mount Morgan community to see Council finalising other big projects which have been years in the making, we want to assure you that we are very much prioritising the long term water supply of Mount Morgan.

“A number of people have asked why we aren’t doing a pipeline directly into the No. 7 Dam, and I want to explain why we aren’t going with this option.

“To have a pipeline into the dam we would be pumping raw water, instead of drinking water, which would incur an additional cost by pumping from Gracemere to the dam, and then to the reservoir to be treated, before going out to people’s houses.

“The only way this option would be economically viable is if we only pumped enough raw water to meet the drinking water needs of the community, which would mean dam access and drinking water may still be restricted at times, which is not what we want the community to have to face in the future.”

Water and Environmental Sustainability Councillor Donna Kirkland said the options that were reviewed as part of the Preliminary Evaluation were very extensive, and the decision on how to proceed has undergone scrutiny.

“As part of the report that went to Council, AECOM generated a long list of possible solutions to Mount Morgan’s water supply issues,” Cr Kirkland said.

“Each of these 19 options, which can be found on Council’s website, went through an initial threshold criteria assessment which determined whether each option would progress through for further, more detailed technical analysis.

“The options in the table that are not highlighted are the options that did not pass the initial threshold assessment and therefore did not proceed through for further testing. We have also included a column for each option to explain why they did not pass the testing.

“Five options made it through for shortlisting which included a Multi Criteria Assessment and detailed economic analysis. Of those options, the one that was assessed as the most viable and reliable long term solution was put forward as the option to progress with – being a potable water pipeline.

“This option will ensure the community has access to a secure water supply for drinking, and the dam will be able to remain at higher levels and be used for recreational purposes since no water is being drawn from it for water supply purposes.”

Divisional Councillor Cherie Rutherford said that she understands some people may be disappointed that a hydropower pipeline was not shortlisted as a possible option.

“We know from our community consultation and talking to residents that there were a number of people who wanted a hydropower option, however, the detailed review has shown that this option would be significantly higher in cost than a potable water pipeline,” Cr Rutherford said.

“AECOM’s report noted that there would be a substantial cost involved in a hydropower pipeline and that it was at this present time an unviable option.

“We know how difficult this journey has been for the people of Mount Morgan and we truly appreciate your patience and cooperation while we take the time to get this right. We know this is an important project which is why we are doing everything in our power to ensure a pipeline gets built for the people of Mount Morgan.”

The detailed list of 19 options as well as the full Preliminary Evaluation can be found here on Council’s website here.

Published in The Mount Morgan Argus on 30 March 2022.