TasWater has given principle support to the development of a new raw water dam on the Tea Tree Rivulet near Buckland on the state’s east coast to help secure future water security for the Orford and Triabunna regions.
The dam is being proposed by the Glamorgan Spring Bay Council with backing from the Department of State Growth.
The dam will be within the Prosser River catchment which is the source of water that feeds into the Upper and Lower Prosser Dam, as well as Brady and Maclaine dams.
These storages are all either currently at capacity, undersized or nearing the end of their design life.
The experience of the 2009-2010 drought, which saw water storages depleted to just 10 per cent of reserves, indicated a need to invest in improved catchment management, storage capacity and efficient use of Tasmania’s east coast water resources.
TasWater has developed a strategy for the Triabunna and Orford area for the ongoing development of infrastructure for both drinking water and sewage over the coming decades.
Developed in 2016, the strategy outlines the need to expand raw water storages with plans already under consideration to extend the Upper Prosser dam which is just downstream from the new proposed Tea Tree Rivulet Dam.
Initially, TasWater expressed caution over the council’s dam proposal, first wanting to establish it wouldn’t restrict access to enough water to meet projected growth in the area.
TasWater CEO, Michael Brewster, has now given principle support to the development following an agreement with the council, guaranteeing an extra 200ML of water entering TasWater’s domestic supply storages.
TasWater will not take part in the dam’s construction nor is it contributing funds to construction, however in the interests of developing a sustainable system of water resource management it is committed to working with other users.
Mr Brewster said TasWater’s main concern is to ensure a reliable was supply for its customers into the future.
