Tankers trucking water may be a site in the Granite Belt soon.
According to a letter tabled in the last ordinary meeting of council, State Water Minister Ann Leahy has told Mayor Hamilton that the state will work with the SDRC “to confirm detailed estimates of water carting costs and timings associated with the emerging drought situation.”
The minister’s letter was in response to the mayor’s reminder to the department of the emerging water security situation.
In chambers, Mayor Hamilton congratulated the minister “for recognising the urgency of Stanthorpe’s water security situation and taking action.”
Five years since the end of the last drought, water security has remained elusive.
Cr Russell Wantling, who was central to the volunteer effort to distribute water in the last drought, is anxious.
“I’m very concerned that we’re going to get to that stage -- the costing of carting water will be astronomical. It’s not an easy thing to cart it,” he told the Town & Country Journal.
Despite delaying the Toowoomba to Warwick pipeline, Minister Leahy still says that the “Queensland government has been a strong partner for the council” on the matter.
Who would pay for the water carting? Mayor Hamilton says that she has asked the State Treasury for “commitment”.
Meanwhile, Minister Leahy says that the costs of carting water “will inform analysis by the department, and potentially the Queensland Treasury Corporation, which will inform the Queensland Government’s consideration of state funding support towards water carting for Stanthorpe.”
In the meeting, Cr Russell Wantling asked if SDRC staff has followed up on getting costs organised for the minister.
“Yes, this follows up a very long series of discussions,” Mayor Hamilton responded. She explained that staff “have been involved behind the scenes in a very big exercise to make sure that we are well prepared and they are meeting regularly with [the minister’s] department to make sure both the department of water...and council are working together as a team to build the systems and processes that we will need should we get to low level wat er restrictions.”
IN a statement, Mayor Hamilton said water carting is an emergency response “but it is not a long-term water security solution.”
The cost of water carting
In the last drought, about 36 to 40 loads of water per day were trucked into Stanthorpe, seven days a week, even on Christmas day.
About 12 drivers made a 120 loop to the dam and Stanthorpe and back, each doing three to four loads per day, spending just over 3 hours each circuit loading water, driving, unloading and driving back.
Fuel costs were roughly $1.30 per litre in 2021 but are now around $3.20 per litre, so the daily fuel cost alone will run to about $8500 per day to cart water at the same volume compared to about $3500 a day five years ago. That cost does not include wages, maintenance and insurance.
