Planning for the Future

Hervey Bay is the second fastest growing local government area in Queensland with over 49,000 residents living in the Bay.

Currently, the water supply is at its capacity in meeting the demand of the population. If it didn't rain within 18 months, Hervey Bay would run out of water.

Water Conservation

Over the past ten years Wide Bay Water has been taking proactive measures in conserving water in Hervey Bay through a range of Water Demand Management Strategies.

These strategies include the water recycling scheme, and leakage control and pressure management - two strategies that have made Wide Bay Water a leader in the Australian water industry.

Water consumption in Hervey Bay has been reduced from 600L per person per day in 1998, to just 288L per person per day this year.

Ten Years of Study Wide Bay Water has spent over $1 million in conducting ten years of study into the raising of Lenthall Dam to meet Hervey Bay's growing population. Independent reports were prepared by various groups including:

• WBM Oceanics
• Sinclair Knight Merz (SKM)
• Gutteridge Haskins & Davey (GHM)
• Department of Natural Resources Forest Ecosystems
• Department of Natural Resources State Water Projects
• Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage
• Queensland Department of Primary Industries, Water Resources

Wide Bay Water also met with local community representatives and interest groups to discuss the impacts of raising the dam.

Through these studies and consultations, raising Lenthall Dam was identified as the best option to secure Hervey Bay's water supply.

Raising Lenthall Dam In 1994, an Appraisal Study of Water Supply Sources for the Sunshine Coast and Mary River Valley by State Government indicated that Lenthall Dam would need to be raised by 6 metres by 1997 to meet Hervey Bay's water needs.

Seven years later, through comprehensive water demand management, Wide Bay Water has managed to delay the raising of the dam, and reduce the height it needs to be raised to just 2 metres.

Protecting the Wongi Waterholes Earlier this year, the Department of Natural Resources and Mines submitted the Interim Resource Operation Licence to Wide Bay Water, setting out the legal requirements Wide Bay Water must meet in order to progress with raising Lenthall Dam. The licence states: "Upon the raising of Lenthall Dam, water is not to be backed up so as to cause flood inundation of the Wongi Waterholes above the present levels at the time of granting the licence."

Wide Bay Water has managed to meet the community's expectations in both securing a water supply for Hervey Bay whilst protecting the environment.