October 2016

Nogoa Mackenzie Water Scheme The Nogoa Mackenzie Water Supply Scheme was established in 1968 to meet agricultural and mining developments and the water requirements of urban communities in the Central Highlands.

The central feature of the scheme is the conservation of water of the Nogoa River by Fairbairn Dam, near Emerald. The storage for the dam is known as Lake Maraboon, with the Selma, Bedford, Bingegang and Tartrus weirs below it on the Mackenzie River.

FAIRBAIRN DAM Fairbairn Dam is built across the Nogoa Gap about 19 kilometres upstream (south) of the town of Emerald, in Queensland’s central west.

Work on the dam commenced in 1968 and was completed in December 1972. Storage of water commenced in January 1972 and the dam filled and overflowed for the first time two years later.

Channel/Pipeline System Water is diverted from Fairbairn Dam to two channel systems to customers via a network of mostly open-earth channels.

Selma Channel System The Selma Channel System supplies water to the left bank, west and north of Emerald.

• Design capacity: 610 ML/day • Length of main channel: 46.7km

• Length of subsidiary channels: 26.8km

The left bank outlet which releases water into the Selma Channel System is at a relatively high level and a pump station is required to lift water into the outlet channel for peak demand periods when the storage level falls. The pump station is located in the left bank wall of the spillway and is equipped with three variable discharge pumps.

Weemah Channel System The Weemah Channel System supplies water to the right bank irrigation area east of Emerald.

• Design capacity: 300 ML/day

• Length of main channel: 52.6km

The right bank outlet which releases water into Weemah Channel and the Nogoa River consists of a 6 metre diameter tunnel with an intake tower housing control gates at the upstream end. The tunnel was used to divert the river during construction of the dam.

Surface drainage systems are in place to provide drainage services in the area. The total length of drains is 204 kilometres.

The distribution system has around 150 customers. (Source: www.sunwater.com.au/schemes/nogoa-mackenzie)

Fairbairn Dam Snapshot • Stream name: Nogoa River • Lake name: Lake Maraboon • Structure: Earth-fill embankment • Storage level above original bed: 31.7 metres • Storage capacity: 1,301,000 megalitres • Surface area at full supply: 15,000 hectares • Pump stations: 4 • Year completed: 1972 • Owned and managed by SunWater Pty Ltd • The Fairbairn dam is Queensland’s second largest

water storage after the Burdekin Falls (1,860,000 ML).

October 2016

USES OF WATER

Irrigation The main crops irrigated are cotton, citrus (mandarins, oranges and lemons) and grapes. Other crops irrigated include wheat, chickpeas, mungbeans, sorghum, maize, lucerne, melons and macadamias.

Other important irrigated agricultural regions include the Comet River and “Big Bend” (Mackenzie River) where irrigation infrastructure is privately owned and constructed, and water is collected and stored in off-stream storages.

Irrigated land is a limited and valuable resource comprising only 1.2% of total land use in Central Queensland. From this small area of land use, approximately 15% of the total value of agricultural production in Central Queensland is produced (ABS 2012; ACARP 2012).

Urban Water Supplies Water from Fairbairn Dam is released down the Nogoa River to the Selma Weir for supply to the town of Emerald. Supplies are diverted by pipelines to the towns of Blackwater, Bluff, Tieri, Dysart and Middlemount.

Industrial Water from Fairbairn Dam is released to supply coal mining developments on the Bowen Basin.

SunWater’s Blackwater Pipeline provides water to several mines and the town of Blackwater. Several other pipelines owned by mines divert water from the scheme to support various mining operations. (Source: www.sunwater.com.au/schemes/nogoa-mackenzie)

SCHEME WATER USE STATISTICS (2015/16) Customer Segment

No. of Customers

Water Entitlements (ML)

Available Water (ML)

Available Water (%)

Water Deliveries (ML)

Water Deliveries (%)

Temporary Transfer Purchase Volume (ML)

Industrial 29,420 26,663 12,282 160

Irrigation 160,132 204,613 160,988 69,217

Urban 8,548 7,793 6,794 12

Other 331 343 213 4

SunWater 32,090 30,537 11,748 4

Total 393 230,520 253,963 110 157,152 68 60,216 (Source: SunWater Annual Report 2015-2016 Pg 77)

The Spillway of the Fairbairn Dam with the start of the Selma Channel visible at left.

October 2016

(Source: SunWater October 2016)

HOW MUCH WATER IS USED VERSUS ENTITLEMENTS? The volume of water available to entitlement holders may change depending on the amount of water in held in the Nogoa-Mackenzie Scheme. This is calculated annually and called an Announced Allocation. In some years the announced allocation may be less than 100% due to lack of inflows into storage. The Water Resource plan determines the total amount of entitlement available from the scheme and also makes an allowance for Environmental flows for the River.

The inter-annual variability of the Nogoa-Mackenzie scheme is relatively low compared to other southern catchments. Irrigated agriculture in the Central Highlands is a valuable local commodity, and also supplies produce when other regions across Queensland and NSW are drought affected and unable to produce food and fibre.

Nogoa Mackenzie Water Supply Scheme - Historical Water Entitlements vs Usage (2006/07 to 2015/16 Water Year)

Emerald Irrigation - Historical Water Entitlements vs Usage (2006/07 to 2015/16 Water Year)

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Woleebee Creek ToGlebe Weir Pipeline

StanwellPipeline

Tarong Pipeline

Eungella Water PipelineSouthern Extension

Awoonga Callide PipelineStag CreekPipeline

Blackwater Pipelines

DAWSON VALLEY WSS

LOWER FITZROY WSS

BOYNE RIVER & TARONG WSS

THREE MOON CREEK WSS

CALLIDE VALLEY WSS

NOGOA MACKENZIE WSS

Cania Dam

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DRAWING No. 247289 A

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SUNWATER WATER SUPPLY SCHEMESWITHIN CENTRAL HIGHLANDSREGIONAL COUNCIL BOUNDARYLOCATION PLAN

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