A multimillion-dollar water feud is unfolding in central Queensland, as a small group of upset irrigators takes on the might of two government-owned corporate giants.
Macadamia farmer Henrik Christiansen is one of 70 irrigators on the lower Fitzroy River who are frustrated that Stanwell Power Station and Gladstone Area Water Board (GAWB) are taking water from the ratepayer-owned Fitzroy River Barrage water storage without contributing to its costs.Â
“[Stanwell and GAWB] are basically getting a free ride,” Mr Christiansen said.
Stanwell Power Station and GAWB pump water from the gated barrage, which is owned and operated by the Rockhampton Regional Council.
The Fitzroy River Barrage was built in 1970. (Supplied: Rockhampton Regional Council)
The power station’s water allocation comes from the Eden Bann Weir, while GAWB’s water comes from the Rookwood Weir.
Both weirs upstream of the barrage are state government-owned through Sunwater.
A map of the Fitzroy Basin. (Supplied: Queensland Government)
Irrigators are frustrated because the council is increasing its water charges by about 20 per cent to help cover the $15 million over five years needed to improve and maintain the barrage, which is currently valued at $40 million with a replacement cost of $100 million.
“We’ve discovered ratepayers and local irrigators use about 49 per cent of the water within the barrage system but pay for 100 per cent of its upkeep, the maintenance, the operational expenses, as well as ongoing improvements,” Mr Christiansen said.
Henrik Christiansen’s property is about 30 kilometres from Rockhampton. (ABC News: Russel Talbot)
Irrigators have argued the barrage is critical to Stanwell Power Station and GAWB’s facilities, as it keeps the river level high enough to allow them to pump and blocks tidal seawater from contaminating freshwater supplies.
Stanwell Power Station has pumped from the barrage for 32 years, while GAWB’s recently constructed $1 billion, 117km pipeline from the barrage to Gladstone, is not yet fully operational.
An irrigation system on Henrik Christiansen’s property. (ABC News: Russel Talbot)
Water from weirs ‘maintains supply levels’ in barrage
Stanwell Power Station draws about 20,000 megalitres of high-priority water from the barrage each year via the Eden Bann Weir, about 80 kilometres upstream, according to the council.
In a statement, Stanwell said it funded the majority of the maintenance and infrastructure costs for the weir as part of its water supply agreement.
But it was not responsible for barrage costs because it purchased water from Sunwater, the spokesperson said.
The Fitzroy River Barrage needs an additional $15 million in investment. (ABC News: Giulio Saggin)
In a statement, Sunwater confirmed it released water from both weirs for Stanwell Power Station and GAWB’s operations, but that water was “not stored in the barrage”.
However, Sunwater did not respond to the ABC’s questions on whether it pumped water from the barrage.
“Water released from the two weirs also maintains supply levels in the barrage for the benefit of Fitzroy River Water customers,” a Sunwater spokesperson said.
“If there was no barrage, Sunwater would still be required to release water from the weirs to downstream pump stations to meet the needs of customers.”
A diagram of Sunwater’s lower Fitzroy water supply scheme. (Supplied: Sunwater)
GAWB chief executive Darren Barlow also rejected the irrigators’ claims, saying it did not use the barrage for “ponding, water storage, distribution or operations”.
He said GAWB used the Rookwood Weir for storage, and took that water when it was released to its pump station 6km upstream of the barrage.
Mr Barlow said any water not drawn as it passed the pump station would benefit downstream users in the lower Fitzroy River.
Crops like Henrik Christiansen’s are reliant on water pumped from the barrage. (ABC News: Russel Talbot)
Meeting showdown for key stakeholders
A meeting of stakeholders including representatives for the irrigators, Sunwater, GAWB, Stanwell Power Station and the Rockhampton Regional Council is scheduled this afternoon in Rockhampton.
A spokesperson for Minister for Local Government and Water Ann Leah confirmed the meeting.
“We have organised [the meeting] with stakeholders to work through these commercial arrangements — which were entered into under the former Labor government — who had very little consideration for farming communities, and left Queensland with the most expensive water bills in the nation,” the spokesperson said.
Rockhampton Mayor Tony Williams said the council was working with the state government on the issue and “looking for a positive outcome in the interest of council, local irrigators and the region”.