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 by , near Fairbairn Dam Snapshot Emerald. The storage for the dam is known as Lake • Stream name: Nogoa River Maraboon, with the Selma, Bedford, Bingegang and • Lake name: Lake Maraboon • Structure: Earth-fill embankment Tartrus weirs below it on the Mackenzie River. • Storage level above original bed: 31.7 metres • Storage capacity: 1,301,000 megalitres FAIRBAIRN DAM • Surface area at full supply: 15,000 hectares Fairbairn Dam is built across the Nogoa Gap about 19 • Pump stations: 4 kilometres upstream (south) of the town of Emerald, in • Year completed: 1972 ’s central west. • Owned and managed by SunWater Pty Ltd • The Fairbairn dam is Queensland’s second largest Work on the dam commenced in 1968 and was completed water storage after the Burdekin Falls (1,860,000 in December 1972. Storage of water commenced in January ML). 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 Weemah Channel System The Weemah Channel System supplies water to the right to customers via a network of mostly open-earth channels. bank irrigation area east of Emerald. Selma Channel System • Design capacity: 300 ML/day The Selma Channel System supplies water to the left bank, • Length of main channel: 52.6km west and north of Emerald. The right bank outlet which releases water into Weemah • Design capacity: 610 ML/day Channel and the Nogoa River consists of a 6 metre diameter • Length of main channel: 46.7km tunnel with an intake tower housing control gates at the • Length of subsidiary channels: 26.8km upstream end. The tunnel was used to divert the river during The left bank outlet which releases water into the Selma construction of the dam. Channel System is at a relatively high level and a pump Surface drainage systems are in place to provide drainage station is required to lift water into the outlet channel for services in the area. The total length of drains is 204 peak demand periods when the storage level falls. The pump kilometres. station is located in the left bank wall of the spillway and is equipped with three variable discharge pumps. The distribution system has around 150 customers. (Source: www..com.au/schemes/nogoa-mackenzie)

August 2017

The Spillway of the Fairbairn Dam with the start of the Selma Channel visible at left. USES OF WATER Irrigation Urban Water Supplies The main crops irrigated are cotton, citrus (mandarins, Water from Fairbairn Dam is released down the Nogoa oranges and lemons) and grapes. Other crops irrigated River to the Selma Weir for supply to the town of Emerald. include wheat, chickpeas, mungbeans, sorghum, maize, Supplies are diverted by pipelines to the towns of lucerne, melons and macadamias. Blackwater, Bluff, Tieri, Dysart and Middlemount. Other important irrigated agricultural regions include the Industrial and “Big Bend” (Mackenzie River) where Water from Fairbairn Dam is released to supply coal mining irrigation infrastructure is privately owned and constructed, developments on the Bowen Basin. and water is collected and stored in off-stream storages. SunWater’s Blackwater Pipeline provides water to several Irrigated land is a limited and valuable resource comprising mines and the town of Blackwater. Several other pipelines only 1.2% of total land use in . From owned by mines divert water from the scheme to support this small area of land use, approximately 15% of the total various mining operations. (Source: value of agricultural production in Central Queensland is www.sunwater.com.au/schemes/nogoa-mackenzie) produced (ABS 2012; ACARP 2012).

SCHEME WATER USE STATISTICS (2015/16) Customer No. of Water Available Available Water Water Temporary Segment Customers Entitlements Water (ML) Water (%) Deliveries Deliveries Transfer (ML) (ML) (%) 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)

August 2017

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) 250,000

200,000

150,000 Usage (ML) 100,000 Water Entitlements 50,000 (ML)

0

Emerald Irrigation - Historical Water Entitlements vs Usage (2006/07 to 2015/16 Water Year) 140,000 120,000 100,000 Emerald Irrigation Scheme * Water 80,000 Deliveries (ML) 60,000 Emerald Irrigation 40,000 Scheme * Water Entitlements (ML) 20,000 0

(Source: SunWater October 2016)

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e r ! 146°0'0"E 147°0'0"E 148°0'0"E 149°0'0"E 150°0'0"E 151°0'0"E DRAWING No. 247289 A   