Urannah

Let's work together to protect Urannah Creek from a dam. Your support will ensure this unique place continues to support our region's unique wildlife.

The crystal clear waters of the beautiful Urannah Creek support many important ecosystems, including a nationally significant wetland. It is home to the unique Irwin'sTurtle, endemic only to this region. Urannah is the most pristine river landscape in Central Queensland. It is home to numerous culturally and historically significant sites for the traditional owners.

The Urannah Dam Project is economically unfeasable, returning only 26 cents in benefits for every dollar it costs. In ...

Let's work together to protect Urannah Creek from a dam. Your support will ensure this unique place continues to support our region's unique wildlife.

The crystal clear waters of the beautiful Urannah Creek support many important ecosystems, including a nationally significant wetland. It is home to the unique Irwin'sTurtle, endemic only to this region. Urannah is the most pristine river landscape in Central Queensland. It is home to numerous culturally and historically significant sites for the traditional owners.

The Urannah Dam Project is economically unfeasable, returning only 26 cents in benefits for every dollar it costs. In return it will negatively impact the water quality flowing to the Great Barrier Reef. It will also deplete groundwater essential to farmers and degrade the rich ecology of this very special region.

We need to do everything we can to protect the vulnerable Urannah Creek and the diverse creatures and plants that call it home.

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Attention: Coordinator-General
c/- EIS Project Manager, Urannah Project
Office of the Coordinator-General
PO Box 15517
City East Qld 4002 Australia

I am very concerned about the proposed Urannah Project. Please accept this submission.

CUMULATIVE
River systems in Australia have been degraded by dams, irrigation projects and hydro-electricity schemes. For example, there is very little flow in the Snowy River and the Murray-Darling system is in crisis, with long periods of insufficient flow and a lack of flood inundation in its associated wetlands.

Four dam projects are currently proposed for the Burdekin River system including the Urannah Project. There has been no work undertaking to understand the ecological impacts that would result if several of these projects proceed. Before any new dam is approved, there should be a thorough scientific investigation into the ecological requirements of the river system and the life that it supports, including life in the marine environment, to ensure that the Burdekin River does not face the same fate as other more developed rivers in Australia.

CULTURAL HERITAGE
The proponent must be required to identify the current and historical traditional owners of land affected by the project. The values that traditional owners identify in their land and rivers must be respected and there must be a clear process of consultation with the traditional owners to ensure that those values are not diminished in any way.

ECONOMICS
Over the past five decades many investigations have been carried out regarding a dam on Urannah Creek. None of these investigations have economically justified construction of the dam, especially when they are examined using modern economic analysis techniques, such as those used by Building Queensland. The most recent analysis of the proposed Urannah Dam by Altus Impact found that the dam will return as little as 26 cents for every dollar it costs.

While I agree with many of the economic requirements in the draft Terms of Reference for the Urannah Project, the proponent must address issues such as:
• the benefits and costs of water efficiency measures compared with construction of a new dam and irrigation infrastructure
• the reliance in the preliminary business case on the avoided cost of duplication of the Burdekin Falls Dam to Moranbah pipeline, which has not received any funding commitments from government 
• the cost of carbon emissions resulting from the destruction of forests through flooding and other processes 
• the cost of carbon emissions from any coal or other fossil fuel mining that will be facilitated by the project
• the financial viability of the project if high value agriculture fails to proceed and taxpayers are required to subsidise water for lower value crops 
• the projected need for new pumped hydro and comparison of the total cost of supply of electricity from this project compared with other forms of dispatchable power such as batteries, over the lifetime of the project
• the cost of additional sediment flowing to the Great Barrier Reef
• the financial capacity of the proponent to maintain the project to a high standard of safety and operation over its lifetime
• demand for water, given that there is a significant volume of unallocated water in existing dams, the proponent must clearly demonstrate that there is demand for water including commitments from purchasers

ECOLOGY
The river system that will be dammed is part of a wetland of national significance. The Broken River, Urannah Creek and Massey Creek Wetland Aggregation supports many species including magnificent specimens of Eucalyptus raveretiana (Black Ironbox). The wetland and its associated species and ecological communities are irreplaceable. The proponent must demonstrate that the project will result in no loss of these species and communities.

This wetland also supports the Irwin’s Turtle (Elseya irwini), which was discovered in 1990 by the famed naturalists Steve and Bob Irwin. This beautiful creature has very specific ecological requirements including access to clear, fast flowing and well oxygenated water. Urannah and Massey Creeks, fed by water from the Eungella rainforests, provide the type of water this species requires. There are only 25 square kilometres in which this species is located. It is likely that the dam will destroy its habitat and possibly send Elseya irwini to extinction. This species is not listed as threatened either nationally or in Queensland due to a lack of rigorous investigation into its population structure and location. The proponent must demonstrate clearly that this species will not be impacted by the project and provide sufficient information to determine its conservation status.

WATER QUALITY
This project has the potential to magnify the problems facing our rivers and oceans, which are becoming more degraded every year. The proponents must clearly demonstrate that the water stored in the dam’s impoundment will not be of lesser quality than existing streams (for example through eutrophication or algal blooms) to prevent it further damaging our natural heritage.

During construction there must be no runoff that reduces the viability of the river system or the ocean. Any proposal for irrigation of new land must clearly demonstrate that there will be no runoff to the Great Barrier Reef that will cause harm to flora, fauna or landforms.

The proponent must also demonstrate that groundwater will not be affected by application of irrigation such as rising water tables.

GROUNDWATER IMPACTS
Farmers in the Lower Burdekin rely on groundwater recharge that results from high flow events including water that is carried by the Broken-Bowen River systems. The proponent must show that there will be no impact on farmers’ groundwater supplies. Farmers have called for an assessment of the cumulative impacts of dam projects and support for water efficiency measures. These should be incorporated into the terms of reference for the Urannah EIS.

GEOMORPHOLOGY
While there is a risk that this project may increase the mass of fine sediments and clay particles that flow to the Great Barrier Reef, there is a converse risk that it may reduce the mass of larger sand particles which contribute to the stability of islands in the mouth of the Burdekin River and the spit at Cape Bowling Green. Without a supply of sand to replenish these landforms they are in danger of erosion in the long term which will affect migratory bird species that inhabit them and allow waves to impact on the shoreline. The proponent must demonstrate that this project will not accelerate the damage that is being done to these landforms.

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