The project was jointly funded by the Australian Government ($11.6 million) and the Queensland Government through SunWater ($20.9 million). Australian Government funding was provided through the National Water Grid Fund.
The completed project improves the supply scheme’s ability to meet the water needs of farmers for various crops including citrus and avocados. Image credit: Sunwater.
Project overview
The project modernised the current water supply scheme through:
- replacement and installation of pipeline
- upgrades to water offtakes
- installation of automated control gates to measure and regulate water flow.
The project has improved water distribution efficiency and increased water availability by at least 8,000 megalitres through reduced losses, enabling irrigators to better manage and meet crop water demands. Irrigation is used for a number of different crops, including mangoes, bananas, pawpaw, citrus, avocados, and coffee.
The Mareeba-Dimbulah distribution system diverts water from the principal water storage site, Tinaroo Falls Dam, to 5 major sub-systems:
- Tinaroo
- Walkamin
- Dimbulah
- Mareeba
- Paddy’s Green.
The scheme also supplies water to a number of townships including Tinaroo, Walkamin, Mareeba, Kuranda, Mutchilba, Dimbulah and Yungaburra.
Key project benefits
Learn more
- Learn more about the National Water Grid Fund as our primary program for responsible investment in water projects.
- Learn about water in Australia and how we are working within a unique water environment.