The Burdekin

In March 1846, the was named by German During the wet season there is no shortage of water explorer and scientist, after Mrs Thomas or wildlife surrounding the Burdekin River. As the wet Burdekin, who assisted Mr Leichhardt during his expedition. season progresses the native wildlife flourishes and the dry country comes alive with all types of flora and fauna. In 1859, George Dalrymple explored the area in search of good pastoral land. Two years later, in 1861, the land One of the major river systems in , the along the Burdekin River was being settled and cattle Burdekin has a total catchment area of 130,000 sq km, properties and agricultural farms were established. which is similar in size to England or Greece.

The Burdekin River is 740km long and the centrepiece to an entire network of .

Most of the water that flows through the Burdekin Ludwig River starts its journey slowly flowing through Leichhardt creeks and tributaries picking up more volume as it heads towards the Pacific Ocean.

Information and photos courtesy of Lower Burdekin Water, CSIRO, SunWater and Lower Burdekin Historical Society Inc. Burdekin Falls The site chosen for the Dam was the Burdekin Throughout the construction phase the As well as being a fantastic spot for camping, Falls, 159km from the mouth of the river. The weather had been very kind. There had this lake is also popular for fishing with required a huge volume of not been a wet season in the 2 ½ years schools of grunter, sleepy cod, silver perch concrete; it took 630,000 cubic metres for it had taken to construct the dam. and black bream being native to the area construction, all of it prepared on site. and introduced species including red claw, As the last concrete was being poured, there yellow belly, golden perch and barramundi. It was built with an associated ice plant to limit was a moderate flow in the Burdekin, which concrete temperatures in hot weather. The filled the dam to 1/3 capacity. This in itself was When water is released from the Burdekin Dam, concrete was carried to the dam site by special a dramatic demonstration of what this structure it is held at the Clare Weir, which was upgraded 18-metre haulage trucks known as ‘road tecs’. could do for the entire region in years to come. for the task. The Clare Weir has a series of collapsible steel gates installed across its top and To protect the project from flooding during For much of its life, this mighty river lies these can be individually or collectively raised or the construction phase, a diversion was quiet and inactive, but with little warning lowered to accommodate the different seasonal provided in the form of a conduit outlet. it can explode into a fury, sending millions conditions and subsequent water demands of of litres of fresh water to the sea. clients. When the gates are raised, the storage A major milestone in the construction capacity of the weir is around 15,500 megalitres. of the long-awaited Burdekin Dam was The body of water that builds up behind the reached in November 1986, when the Dam wall forms Lake Dalrymple and is the largest conduit outlets were sealed. They would let body of fresh water in . When full the the river water flow through the Burdekin dam holds 1,860,000 megalitres of Dam wall during construction. With the water (or equivalent to four times the sealing of the conduit outlets, the Burdekin amount of water in Sydney Harbour). Dam began taking its first water.

Information and photos courtesy of Lower Burdekin Water, CSIRO, SunWater and Lower Burdekin Historical Society Inc. in the Burdekin

Water supply from the Burdekin Dam, Burdekin River and a massive underground are currently managed by two separate organisations - SunWater (a Government-owned corporation) and Lower Burdekin Water - (an unincorporated joint venture of the North and South Burdekin Water Boards which are autonomous bodies, independently funded by growers, millers and irrigators in the lower Delta). The North and South Burdekin Water Boards were formed in 1965 and 1966 respectively, following a series of very dry years and unprecedented pressures being placed on the Burdekin delta systems in in the early 1960s.

The Burdekin Delta is a major irrigation area with approximately 38,000ha of irrigated sugar cane and other horticulture crops. This system is unique because it overlies major groundwater supplies, is close to environmentally sensitive , waterways, estuaries, and the , and employs water management practices which have evolved over many decades in response to local needs.

Lower Burdekin Water manages part of the coastal plain known locally as the ‘Burdekin ’, which is underlain by a multi-layered aquifer system.

The Water Boards have a charter that requires them to manage replenishment of groundwater contained in the aquifer, which is subject to a constant threat of seawater intrusion. The Water Boards currently use a number of strategies to manage groundwater replenishment, including the use of sand in the Burdekin River and a series Burdekin Regional Map of distribution channels and natural waterways together with large recharge pits to assist with artificial replenishment of the groundwater systems. The sand dams are constructed and maintained in the Burdekin River and are used to help maintain practical operating levels at river pump stations by containing releases from upstream storages.

The delta is the creation of the Burdekin River, evolving over thousands of years, a young and changing landscape in geological terms. The Burdekin drains seven per cent of Queensland and the immense power of the water tumbling down to the sea has carved many outlets and spread alluvial deposits over most of the Burdekin Shire, an area stretching from the to Wangaratta Creek.

Source – Black Snow and Liquid Gold.

Information and photos courtesy of Lower Burdekin Water, CSIRO, SunWater and Lower Burdekin Historical Society Inc. Lower Burdekin Water Lower Burdekin Water manages part of the coastal plain known as the Groundwater Quality Burdekin River Delta which contains a multi-layered aquifer system. Measurements have shown that water quality has varied over the past 20 years. In some areas water quality has improved while in Hydrology others it has deteriorated. In some areas, it has remained stable. The fresh groundwater hydrology of the area is complex and is dominated by the Burdekin River in its simplest form. The water Groundwater use beds within the area contain a dynamic groundwater aquifer to which water is added and lost. The Burdekin River water effectively Most of the pumped groundwater is used for irrigation of sugar cane with replenishes the aquifer on both the north and south of the river. minor amounts used for urban water supplies for Ayr, Brandon and Home Hill. Smaller amounts are used for small crops. Estimates range from 10 Since the mid-1960s, water levels in the Burdekin Delta aquifer have been megalitres per hectare for a crop yield of 100 tonnes per hectare to 15 successfully managed by the North and South Burdekin Water Boards. megalitres per hectare for a crop yield of 135 tonnes per hectare. However, 12 megalitres per hectare for 115 tonnes is common for the delta area. Gravity continually drains groundwater by an amount which is in direct proportion to the volume in storage above mean sea level. Recharge occurs both naturally and as a managed process. Natural recharge adds water via infiltration of rainwater and overbank floods and through water infiltrating through bed sands of the Conjunctive Use Making the System Work Burdekin River, creeks and lagoons found throughout the district. Rain Managed recharge occurs through the pumping of water from the river through the Board’s channels and manmade recharge pits. Evapotranspiration Bore water BURDEKIN RIVER Artificial recharge Managed aquifer recharge has been developed locally to ensure IRRIGATION Overland Flood Channels Bores groundwater levels are maintained to minimise the threat of Pits seawater intrusion along the coastal front while farmers access groundwater via bores for crop production. There are some 14km Irrigation excess Surface flow Recharge

of pipelines, 305km of channels and approximately 40 operational Root zone recharge pits that are managed by Lower Burdekin Water. River Recharge pits are strategically located over underlying coarse sands bed Drainage Leakage quantity / quality Unsaturated zone and when clean water is diverted from the river to the recharge pits it sands to sea naturally percolates into the aquifer. Some individual recharge pit areas Water table Recharge when fully operational may recharge as much as 20 megalitres per day. Sea Besides the pits, other re-charge effort occurs through the beds and banks GROUNDWATER water of natural watercourses that also form a large part of Lower Burdekin (quantity / quality) wedge Waters’ distribution systems. Lower Burdekin Water spends considerable sums of money maintaining and running the artificial recharge system.

Information and photos courtesy of Lower Burdekin Water, CSIRO, SunWater and Lower Burdekin Historical Society Inc. TULLY 143°0’0"E 144°0’0"E 145°0’0"E 146°0’0"E 147°0’0"E 148°0’0"E 149°0’0"E 18°0’0"S 18°0’0"S

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Rive in r ek r d B u Cairns MAP EXTENT

BURDEKIN RIVER The Burdekin River Catchment is partially controlled by a number INGHAM y Dr Riv Mt Isa of dams and weirs with these storages providing water flows for e Mackay irrigation, industrial, urban and stock use throughout the region. r PACIFIC Longreach Rockhampton STATISTICS Gladstone Bundaberg River Length ...... 740 km r 2 e Catchment Area ...... 129,860 km (7.5% Qld) iv Charleville 3 R 19°0’0"S Maximun Flow1958 Flood ...... 35,900 m /sec g BRISBANE 19°0’0"S n GR i Cunnamulla E r ...... 12.64 m Bridge G un n R e Average Annual Flow ...... 9,000,000 Megalitres O v RY i R DE r V a E t LO TOWNSVILLE P S LOCALITY PLAN er M iv E R N ke T Cla r A oke i L Br n R ver R O

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G RE G O R SARINA Y D EV EL OP BURDEKIN FALLS DAM - Capacity 1.860,000 Megalitres M

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23°0’0"S Water Pipelines 23°0’0"S Arterial Roads GORGE WEIR - Capacity 9,460 Megalitres Major Rivers Lakes Burdekin Falls Dam Catchment

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CLARE WEIR - Capacity 15,500 Megalitres TAMBO 143°0’0"E 144°0’0"E 145°0’0"E 146°0’0"E 147°0’0"E 148°0’0"E 149°0’0"E Document: u:\gis_data\bria_data\bsc_diorama\burdekincatchment.mxd Document: PM 12:02:37 2012 23 February Thursday, Printed: 146°40’0"E 146°50’0"E 147°0’0"E 147°10’0"E

BURDEKIN FALLS DAM BURDEKIN RIVER Main Embankment Type ...... Mass Concrete Full Supply Level (FSL) ...... 154.00 m AHD Cairns Storage Capacity at FSL ...... 1,860,000 ML Storage Area at FSL ...... 22,000 ha MAP EXTENT Townsville Dead Storage ...... 7,860 ML (at 124.00m AHD) Mt Isa Mackay Dam Crest Level (DCL) ...... 169.2 m AHD Maximum Height Dam ...... 57.0 m Longreach Rockhampton Crest Length Along Axis (Main Embankment) ...... 876.0 m Gladstone Bundaberg Crest Width ...... 7.0 m Total Quantities ...... 650,000 m3 Concrete Charleville BRISBANE Cunnamulla Spillway Spillway Type ... Central Ogee Crest ending at a flip bucket Spillway Crest Level ...... 154.00 m AHD Crest Length ...... 504 m LOCALITY PLAN Spillway Design Capacity ...... 64,600 m3/s Spillway Capacity for DCF ...... 69,800 m3/s 20°30’0"S 20°30’0"S Outlet Works Description ...... Three Outlet Chutes with radial gates Radial Gate Dimensions ...... 3.0 m x 2.0 m Outlet Chute Design Velocity ...... 30.0 m/s

SADDLE DAMS Mt Graham North Saddle Dam Type ...... Earth and rock fill with central clay core Length ...... 1,200 m Maximum Height ...... 11.0 m MT GRAHAM NORTH Crest Width ...... 10.0 m SADDLE DAM

Mt Graham South Saddle Dam Type ...... Earth and rock fill with central clay core MT GRAHAM SOUTH Length ...... 2,100 m SADDLE DAM Maximum Height ...... 11.0 m ST ROLL ON RIV Crest Width ...... 10.0 m E R

Left Bank Saddle Dam LEFT BANK Type ...... Earth and rock fill with central clay core SADDLE DAM Length ...... 1,200m Maximum Height ...... 36.0 m BURDEKIN RIVER Crest width ...... 10.0 m (Typical) ...... 23.2 m at Headrace Channel BURDEKIN FALLS DAM 20°40’0"S 20°40’0"S

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Arterial Roads SCALE 1:100,000 Rivers 02468101 Burdekin Falls Dam Catchment Kilometers

BURDEKIN FALLS DAM - Construction Details

146°40’0"E 146°50’0"E 147°0’0"E 147°10’0"E Document: U:\GIS_Data\bria_data\BSC_Diorama\BurdekinFallsDam.mxd Document: PM 12:56:37 2012 23 February Thursday, Printed: 147°0’0"E 147°10’0"E 147°20’0"E 147°30’0"E 147°40’0"E ALVA BEACH

19°30’0"S GIRU 19°30’0"S Cairns Reed Beds Pump Station

MAP EXTENT Townsville Mt Isa Mackay

Longreach Rockhampton Gladstone Bundaberg Val Bird Weir Healey’s Lagoon Charleville Pump Station AYR BRISBANE SELKIRK Cunnamulla SECTION NORTH BURDEKIN WATER BOARD AREA LOCALITY PLAN JARDINE SECTION

R E IV R IN K E HOME 19°40’0"S RD 19°40’0"S BU HILL

MONAPARK N RIVE R SECTION HTO SOUTH BURDEKIN UG NORTHCOTE HA WATER BOARD AREA HAUGHTON SECTION SECTION

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HAUGHTON MAIN CHANNEL Clare’A’ Pump Station LEICHHARDT SECTION Clare B8 Relift Pump Station MULGRAVE

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Elliot Pump Station

Clare’B’ Pump Station

Tom Fenwick No 4 & 5 Pump Station Tom Fenwick No 1 Pump Station Tom Fenwick No 2 & 3 Pump Station 20°0’0"S 20°0’0"S Millaroo ’B’ Pump Station

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Pump Stations Burdekin Haughton Arterial Roads Rivers 20°10’0"S 20°10’0"S BHWSS Infrastructure Type Channels

Drains

Pipelines/Siphons Water Supply Scheme Embankments DALBEG SECTION BURDEKIN HAUGHTON WATER SUPPLY SCHEME The Burdekin Haughton Water Supply Scheme is the largest land Dalbeg ’B’ Pump Station and water conservation project in Queensland. It supplies water for irrigation of agriculture in the lower Burdekin region, and meets the future urban and industrial development needs for the city of Townsville and surrounding districts. The scheme opened up the SCALE 1:125,000 Burdekin region for expansion of irrigated cropping, boosting the Dalbeg Relift Pump Station 01.25 2.5 5 7.5 10 12.5 economy of this region and Queensland. Dalbeg ’A’ Pump Station Kilometers

147°0’0"E 147°10’0"E 147°20’0"E 147°30’0"E 147°40’0"E Document: U:\GIS_Data\bria_data\BSC_Diorama\IrrigationArea.mxd Document: PM 01:39:55 2012 23 February Thursday, Printed: