NuWater Project Feasibility Study Released

Potential opportunities to meet the substantial water demand required to support increased agricultural production in both the Lockyer Valley and Darling Downs have been outlined in the NuWater Project Feasibility Study, released recently.

QFF CEO Travis Tobin said the NuWater Project was designed to explore ways to improve Moreton Bay water quality and increase the capacity of agriculture in the Lockyer Valley and Darling Downs, at a time when increasing global population was driving demand for Australian grown food, fibre and foliage.

“An unofficial consortium of Queensland agricultural industry organisations, economic development groups and local government bodies, conducted a feasibility study to test the viability of using recycled water from the South-East Queensland Western Corridor Recycled Water Scheme (WCRWS) and engaged international consulting firm GHD to prepare a Preliminary Business Case,” Mr Tobin said.

“While the NuWater Project has merit, the Preliminary Business Case identified that the Project was not a financially viable solution to provide recycled water all the way to the Darling Downs via the Lockyer Valley at this time.”

“However, the Preliminary Business Case identified some of the key future step-changes in current policy and technology that would be required to improve the economic viability of the project.”

“Government and private stakeholders may find the information in the NuWater Project useful in planning better utilisation of existing water infrastructure to increase the capacity of agriculture in the Lockyer Valley and Darling Downs in the future.”

“In particular, this work might prove very useful in beginning an evaluation of whether recycled water could be economically deployed in the Lockyer Valley.”

This study was supported by funding from the Australian Government National Water Infrastructure Development Fund, an initiative of the Northern Australia and Agricultural Competitiveness White Papers.

For more information about the NuWater Project see here: NuWater Project(https://www.qff.org.au/projects/nuwater/).