The project is being funded by the Australian Government ($4.675 million) and the New South Wales Government ($4.675 million). Australian Government funding is provided through the National Water Grid Fund.
The business case will consider a range of options for improving water supply and efficiency in the region.
Project overview
The detailed business case will consider the broader water needs of the lower Macquarie catchment and improving town water security as well as efficiency in the region.
The detailed business case will consider a range of options for improving water supply, including:
- repurposing flood mitigation storage in Burrendong Dam for water supply
- replacing the Gin Gin weir
- constructing pipelines to connect Dubbo to Nyngan and other towns.
As part of the Gin Gin Weir option, a detailed assessment will be undertaken focussing on environmental and cultural impacts.
Previous business case work had commenced, however, this needed to be changed to look at more solutions. The new business case scope is aligned with the finalised Macquarie-Castlereagh Regional Water Strategy. The Australian Government had committed $5.4 million to the previous work, with only $2 million spent. The remaining funding has been reallocated to the new business case scope. Findings from the previous work have helped inform the new business case scope.
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