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Bowen Broken
Scheme
Announced Allocations
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Scheme information
About
The Bowen Broken Scheme sources its water from Eungella Dam located 133km west of Mackay. It supports irrigation customers as well as urban and industrial users.
How the scheme works
- Urban and industrial water is delivered via four pipelines: two from Eungella Dam and two from Bowen Broken River Wier. Two of the four are owned by Sunwater.
Water uses
- Irrigation water for landowners downstream of Bowen River Weir
- Urban water supply for Collinsville/Scottsville, Glenden and Moranbah
- Industrial supply for mining.
Major storage
Eungella Dam
Eungella Dam is situated on Broken River, approximately 40 kilometres west of the township of Eungella and 133 kilometres west of Mackay.
Channel/pipeline system
The Collinsville Pipeline takes water from the Bowen River Weir and distributes the water for several mines, as well as the Collinsville township.
Scheme Management
Sunwater must comply with the conditions set out in the Bowen Broken Water Supply Scheme Resource Operations Licence (ROL), issued to Sunwater in December 2009 by our portfolio shareholding department. The ROL outlines the infrastructure details, environmental release rules and all Sunwater’s monitoring and reporting obligations. The ROL also requires Sunwater to operate in accordance with an operations manual that is approved by our portfolio shareholding department. The operations manual outlines rules for the operation of infrastructure associated with the Bowen Broken Rivers scheme as well as water sharing rules and seasonal water assignment (temporary trade) rules.
The Bowen Broken Water Supply Scheme ROL Operations Manual was issued in May 2017.
Sunwater focuses our resources towards timely and cost-efficient delivery of water to customers in the Bowen Broken scheme. We collaborate with our customers to ensure we understand their needs, adapt quickly to changes in the environment and make the most of the available water supply.
Taking water from the scheme
The water ordering system assists Sunwater in delivering water to its customers in an efficient and timely way, enabling them to plan and manage their water use.
Before taking any water, customers should place a water order so that Sunwater can release sufficient water and minimise losses.
Customers who take water without ordering may reduce Sunwater’s ability to supply customers who have ordered according to the above requirements.
To place an order
Customers can place their orders via:
- Sunwater Online
- Sunwater Customer Support on 13 15 89
Further information about ordering water is detailed in Bowen Broken Rules and Targets.
Stopping or restricting supply
Sunwater may suspend or restrict supply in a number of circumstances, including:
- during maintenance of Sunwater’s assets
- during a peak demand period, when rosters or rations may apply
- when the demand for water is so small it is impractical to supply it
- when there is a need to make special releases to maximise efficiency at times of limited supply
- during rain shutdown
- infrastructure limitations which make delivery impractical
- if supply could cause Sunwater to break the law
- when operating under special notices or regulations issued by the Department of Natural Resources and Mines {e.g. Water Amendment Regulation (No. 3) 2006}.
Weather events and emergency shutdowns
Sunwater asks that customers notify their duty Water Officer, as soon as possible, of any rain event or other circumstances that substantially lessens their water requirements. When widespread general rain exceeds 40 mm in a day over the Bowen Broken Water Supply Scheme, the duty Water Officer may shut the system down.
Customers are also asked to cancel orders if they no longer require ordered water.
For more information contact
If you experience an equipment or power failure emergency, please give immediate notice to Sunwater by calling Sunwater Customer Support on 131589 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Announced Allocations
Water Year: 2024/2025
High A1 priority: 100%
High A2 priority: 100%
Medium priority: 100%
Announced Allocations effective 1 July 2024, and will be applicable until revised and communicated by Sunwater.
Customers are advised to obtain information about their remaining water allocation balance by accessing Sunwater Online.
For more information or enquiries, phone 13 15 89 or email customersupport@sunwater.com.au.
History of Announced Allocations
Operational reports
Sunwater releases periodic operational reports detailing Announced Allocation levels and individual storages’ breakdowns within each scheme, the latest of which can be found below.
Sunwater releases periodic operational reports detailing Announced Allocation levels and individual storages’ breakdowns within each scheme, the latest of which can be found below.
Service and Performance Plans
Sunwater prepares an annual Service and Performance Plan (S&PP) for each irrigation service contract area. S&PPs replace the former annual Network Service Plans and annual Performance Reports.
We have updated the naming convention for S&PPs to improve clarity and alignment with plan content. The new convention references the year in which the S&PP is published (or should have been published). Publication should occur within six months of the end of a financial year.
For further information about this service, please visit the Service and Performance Plan page.
Scheme news
Scheme history
Bowen Broken Water Supply Scheme
The scheme’s main storage Eungella Dam, 130 km west of Mackay, was built on the Broken River in 1969 to provide water for the power station at Collinsville in the Bowen Basin coalfields.
In its early years of operation, the scheme also supplied water to the Burdekin River Water Supply Scheme to its north, but the completion of the Burdekin Falls Dam in 1987 meant that supply was no longer required.
The scheme’s principal use today is to meet the demands of several coal mines in the Bowen Basin, as well as the urban water supply for Collinsville/Scottsville, Glenden and Moranbah. The urban and industrial water is delivered via four pipelines — two of which are owned by Sunwater.
Water is also fed into the Bowen River, where it is used by landholders for irrigation and stock and domestic purposes.