The SEQ Water Grid is a region-wide, long term,

water supply Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavors or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes. Public water supply systems are crucial to properly functioning societies. Th ...

scheme that provides a sustainable water

infrastructure Infrastructure is the set of facilities and systems that serve a country, city, or other area, and encompasses the services and facilities necessary for its economy, households and firms to function. Infrastructure is composed of public and pri ...

network for the South East region of

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. The project was the largest urban response to the

drought in Australia Drought in Australia is defined by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology as rainfall over period greater than three-months being in the lowest decile of what has been recorded for that region in the past. This definition takes into account that ...

, which severely affected water supplies in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

and surrounds, particularly between 2004 and 2007. The basic component of the project was a network of potable bulk water pipelines that connect areas that have an oversupply of water to those areas lacking water. The project went online in October 2008 and by November 2008 parts of the region were receiving a diversified supply of water for the first time.

Features and structure

The SEQ Water Grid was initially managed by a partnership between Seqwater, LinkWater and the SEQ Water Grid Manager. The total cost of the project was 6.9 billion. On 1 January 2013, the SEQ Water Grid Manager, LinkWater, Seqwater and parts of Queensland Water Commission were amalgamated into the Queensland Bulk Water Supply Authority trading as Seqwater. The authority is a

state-owned corporation A state-owned enterprise (SOE) is a business entity created or owned by a national or local government, either through an executive order or legislation. SOEs aim to generate profit for the government, prevent private sector monopolies, provide goo ...

that owns and operates the SEQ Bulk Water Supply System or the Bulk Water Supply Chain. The plan for the Water Grid was originally laid out in the Queensland Water Commission's ''South East Queensland Water Strategy'', a 50-year strategy to maintain adequate water supply. The main objectives are to respond to the drought and provide long term

water security The aim of water security is to maximize the benefits of water for humans and ecosystems. The second aim is to limit the risks of destructive impacts of water to an acceptable level. These risks include too much water (flood), too little water (d ...

for the region, particularly to avoid the need to place severe

water restriction An outdoor water-use restriction is a ban or other lesser restrictions put into effect that restricts the outdoor use of water supplies. Often called a watering ban or hosepipe ban, it can affect: *irrigation of lawns * car washing *recreatio ...

s on residents. Other aims of the Water Grid are to move risk away from individual water storage facilities to the regional level and to efficiently coordinate the utility of water sources in South East Queensland.

Components

Existing facilities that have become part of the Water Grid include Wivenhoe Dam, Somerset Dam, North Pine Dam and Baroon Pocket Dam, along with eight other dams that make up th
12 connected dams
Part of the project involved the construction of the Gold Coast Desalination Plant to convert

sea water Seawater, or sea water, is water from a sea or ocean. On average, seawater in the world's oceans has a salinity of about 3.5% (35 g/L, 35 ppt, 600 mM). This means that every kilogram (roughly one liter by volume) of seawater has approximate ...

drinking water Drinking water or potable water is water that is safe for ingestion, either when drunk directly in liquid form or consumed indirectly through food preparation. It is often (but not always) supplied through taps, in which case it is also calle ...

and the Western Corridor Recycled Water Scheme to purify treated wastewater for supply to power stations and industrial and agricultural customers. Purified recycled water will also be added to the water supply once combined dam levels fall below 40 per cent. Two major pipelines, called the Northern and Southern Pipeline Interconnectors, link water storage facilities near

Gympie Gympie ( ) is a city and a Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. Located in the Greater Sunshine Coast, Gympie is about north of the state capital, Brisbane. The city lies on the Mary River ( ...

in the north of the region and the Gold Coast area, south of Brisbane.

Wyaralong Dam The Wyaralong Dam is a mass concrete gravity dam with an un-gated spillway across the Teviot Brook that is located in the South East region of Queensland, Australia. The main purpose of the dam is for supply of potable water for the Scenic ...

and the completed Cedar Grove Weir are part of the plans. These water reservoirs provide significant new supply and are needed to meet the region's growing demand up until 2050. In 2008 Lake Manchester Dam and Enoggera Dam were reactivated to supplement supply. The project also encompasses a raising of the Hinze Dam dam wall and the connection of the Leslie Harrison Dam and Ewen Maddock Dam to the regional network.

Current SEQ Water Grid bulk water assets

* 12 connected dams * 10 connected drinking water treatment plants * 3 advanced wastewater treatment plants producing purified recycled water * 1 desalination plant * 28 water reservoirs * 22 bulk water pump stations * of potable bulk water mains

References

External links

Seqwater

LinkWater

Water Grid - "Australia's most secure water supply"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seq Water Grid Water management in Queensland South East Queensland 2008 establishments in Australia

Features and structure

Components

Current SEQ Water Grid bulk water assets

See also

References

External links