A formal application to the National Water Grid Authority (NWGA) has been lodged by the Queensland Government on behalf of the Water for Warrill project.
The Water for Warrill board has received confirmation that the submission for funding has been submitted. If successful, the NWGA funds would enable the committee to engage specialists to prepare a ‘Preliminary Business Case and Options Analysis’ for the Water for Warrill proposal to deliver secure and reliable water to the region’s agriculture industry.
The committee has been advised that the application is likely to be considered in the first quarter of 2023, with successful projects expected to be announced as part of the 2023 Federal Budget in May.
The Water for Warrill committee would like to thank Queensland Minister for Regional Development and Manufacturing and Water, the Honourable Glenn Butcher, and his team for their support in preparing and lodging the application to the NWGA. We also appreciate the ongoing support shown for this project by Mayor Greg Christensen and the Scenic Rim Regional Council.
The primary objective of the Water for Warrill irrigation project is to provide more secure and reliable water to the high value food producers in the region who are eager to consolidate existing production, as well as expand and grow their operations to capitalise on market opportunities for more advanced Australian manufacturing and production.
This project promises to deliver many benefits to the region, including:
- Strengthen the agricultural sector in the Warrill and Fassifern Valleys by bringing high priority, or equivalent, water entitlements
- Increasing production volumes and quality
- Supercharging investment certainty and increasing the job opportunities and throughput at local food manufacturing and processing facilities
A Preliminary Business Case would look at both infrastructure and non-infrastructure solutions to deliver reliable water to the agriculture industry. The aim is to identify the best sources that can practically meet customer needs and which align with Queensland’s state infrastructure plan.