South East Queensland
17.21 Other surface water decreases
Supporting information
The volumetric value for the line item at the end of the 2012–13 year was 6,508 ML.
This line item represents diversion of water out of the South East Queensland (SEQ) region and its components are:
- water drawn from Wivenhoe Dam = 3 ML (for annual maintenance of the pump and pipe infrastructure)
- water drawn from Cressbrook Lake 2,802 ML (total drawn from Cressbrook Lake was 2,805 ML that included 3 ML from Wivenhoe Dam)
- water drawn from Perseverance Lake was 3,875 ML.
Crow's Nest is the only major township lying within SEQ region that is serviced by 172 ML out of total diversion.
Yarraman diverts 88 ML from the Cooyar Creek (Ted Pukallus Weir) and that water used in Yarraman lies within the SEQ region (off-grid). Therefore, total water diverted from SEQ water supply scheme was 6,768 ML and total water staying within SEQ region was 260 ML. Hence, total water exported out of SEQ region in 2012-13 was 6,508 ML (which is 6,768 ML less 260 ML) that was transferred to Mt Kynoch WTP via Pechey Tank for distribution to Toowoomba Regional Council customers outside the SEQ region.
Although the Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Mines (DNRM) has records of entitlement, allocation and diversions from storages in the water management system (WMS) database, data were needed from Toowoomba regional council to determine the diversions transferred out of the SEQ region to the town of Toowoomba. Toowoomba is located outside the SEQ region, on the Great Dividing Range and obtains much of its town water supply from within the SEQ region.
Water was pumped out of Lake Perseverance and Lake Cressbrook by the resource operation licence (ROL) holder (Toowoomba regional council) to Toowoomba via a series of tanks and minor storages to Mount Kynoch water treatment plant. Potable water was then supplied to the town of Toowoomba.
The diversion of 6,508 ML has been included in this line item, as the ROL holder was the organisation undertaking the transfer. The actual abstractions of water from Lake Perseverance and Lake Cressbrook have been included in line item 13.2 Adjustment and forfeiture of surface water allocation – urban water system rather than line item 11.12 Entitled diversion of allocated surface water to urban water system as the ROL holder did not provide the water to a third party within the SEQ region, but rather transferred the water out of the region themselves.
If the ROL holder had diverted water from the WSS to a third party and then the third party transferred the water out of the SEQ region, this would not be reported as a transfer out of the region in the 2013 Account, as the third party is not the surface water licensing authority.
Quantification approach
Data source
Toowoomba regional council ROL holder records.
Provided by
Toowoomba regional council.
Method
DNRM obtained the volume of water transferred from Lake Perseverance to Toowoomba from Toowoomba regional council.
Assumptions, limitations, caveats and approximations
DNRM has accepted these measured transfer values from Toowoomba regional council in good faith.
Uncertainty information
Derived from measured data. DNRM reliability and accuracy rating is B2 (Department of Environment and Resource Management 2011).