Toowoomba Regional Council (TRC) is building a safer, stronger future at Cressbrook Dam through Queensland’s largest local government-led dam safety project – but what’s so critical about it?
Toowoomba Region Deputy Mayor and spokesperson for Strategic Water Planning and Capital portfolio, Councillor Rebecca Vonhoff, said Cressbrook Dam belongs to the Toowoomba Region; it is community owned infrastructure, meaning it carries shared responsibility.
“The safety improvements to Cressbrook Dam, including widening the spillway and raising the crest, will ensure the dam can safely pass larger volumes of water in a major flood event. These upgrades are essential to meet modern safety and engineering standards, ensuring the dam can manage future flood risks,” Cr Vonhoff said.
“While we’re not increasing our water storage capacity, we are protecting our existing water infrastructure. This is about securing what we already have as the majority of the Toowoomba Region’s water storage capacity is at Cressbrook Dam.
“We never want to have a dam failure. If Cressbrook Dam were to fail, it would be catastrophic for people downstream and it would be catastrophic for people upstream, because it’s the people upstream in our community who drink this water.”
“Our community relies on this water every day, safeguarding this supply is essential,” Toowoomba Region Mayor, Geoff McDonald, said design of the Cressbrook Dam Safety Improvement Project continues to progress.
“Our team is working hard to get the design of this complex project right, because it’s too dam important to get wrong,” he said.
“As the dam’s owner, we have a responsibility to protect water security and those living downstream, now and into the future.
“The financial strain of the project on our residents is having a profound effect. Delays on other essential and community projects are being realised. Despite this, inaction isn’t an option. Safety must come first; we’re committed to doing what’s right.
“We know it’s mandated, we know we must do it, we’re up for it, but it shouldn’t be at the burden of our ratepayers.
“Until you’re on site at the dam wall, you can’t see it, you can’t feel it, you can’t touch it, you can’t understand it. This is a massive project. We are calling on the support of the State and Federal Government to help us deliver this project, not just for today, but for future generations.”
For more information about the project and why it’s important, visit Cressbrook Dam Safety Improvement Project.
