The long fought for Quipolly Water Project is now delivering good quality water to the people of Werris Creek and Quirindi, and a hopeful future for growth in the Liverpool Plains.
Liverpool Plains Shire Mayor Doug Hawkins, along with NSW MP for Tamworth Kevin Anderson and Federal MP for New England Barnaby Joyce opened the brand new Quipolly Water Project on Tuesday at Quipolly Dam just outside Quirindi.
“This project has been more than 17 years in the making, with a concept for the project being put on paper back in 2006,” Mayor Hawkins said at the opening, after Councillor Jason Allan performed the Welcome To Country.
“Official work commenced on the site in November 2021. And as of today, the dam is now connected to the taps of residents in Werris Creek through the new, world-class treatment plant and pipeline.”
The new water treatment facility will provide up to six megalitres of water per day, with space built into the facility to expand to nine megalitres in the future, and using a rare ozone purification system to remove minerals from the water.
Tri-Government effort delivered on budget
While the project was delayed by COVID, Mayor Hawkins was proud of the fact of delivering it on budget, despite material costs rising “200-300 percent” over the last few years.
The plant received funding from all levels of government, with $15 million from the Federal government, $10 million from NSW, and $11.9 million from Liverpool Plains Shire itself, and Mayor Hawkins expressed thanks to those involved, and said that the project also contributed $4.6 million to the local community during construction.
“On behalf of the Liverpool Plains Shire Council, I want to acknowledge the current government ministers: the honourable Tanya Plibersek, the Honourable Catherine King, and the Honourable Rose Jackson for their support and funding of the project,” Mayor Hawkins said during the opening speech.
Ministers Plibersek, King, and Jackson were invited but did not attend the ceremony. In a joint statement released by both the NSW and Federal Water Ministers, Plibersek stated that “This critically important project will lock in long-term water security and reliability for a part of rural NSW that knows all too well the impacts of dry times”, with Jackson stating “We don’t just talk about drought-proofing infrastructure; we build it.”
Hawkins expressed pride at all levels of government coming together to build the plant.
“I would also like to make special mention of our local members, as I said earlier, the Honourable Barnaby Joyce, and Honourable Kevin Anderson, who have shown great support for this project over the years.”
Barnaby Joyce praised the new facility, and reminisced about his time living in Werris Creek.
“One of the big detractors of there was the quality of water,” Joyce said, “It was pretty ordinary.”
Minister Anderson, former NSW State Water Minister under the previous government, congratulated and thanked the Council for delivering the project, and stressed that the reason it was built was, first and foremost, to serve the needs of the people of the Shire.
“To Mayor Dougie Hawkins and Councillors here today, thank you very much for what you’re doing,” Anderson said.
“You can’t forget the reason why this facility was built: to improve the lives of people in our community.”
At a press conference after the opening, flanked by Joyce and Anderson, Mayor Hawkins stressed that the reason for construction of the new facility was that the water quality in Werris Creek was “right down” and that the new system is more drought-proof. It offers the ability, Hawkins says, of being able to direct water between Werris Creek and Quirindi as needed.
Challenging project delivers better water quality for all
Former Liverpool Shire Council GM Ron Van Katwyk, who oversaw much of the facility’s planning during his eleven years at the Council before retiring in 2019, said that the new system, while challenging to build, offers a better balance of water quality throughout the Shire.
“(The main challenge) was financial, due to the large numbers involved,” Van Katwyk said at the ceremony, but also said that there were challenges of drawing from the dam and distributing across the shire was also challenging.
While the new system treats water from the dam, Van Katwyk said, Liverpool Plains will still draw on groundwater – though now equitably mixed with dam water for all connected residents.
“With the previous water supply there was hard groundwater in Quirindi, and softer dam water going to Werris Creek.”
“Now, it’s a case of shandying that, and making the best quality water for everyone.”
Achievement for Liverpool Plains Shire only the beginning
Speaking after the press conference directly to the New England Times, Mayor Hawkins said that the new water treatment was vital for the projected growth of the shire, and talked of the other projects underway in the Liverpool Plains.
“I think that we’ve punched well above our weight in getting it,” Mayor Hawkins said.
“But we need things like this. I’m pretty confident that in the long run the overspill from Tamworth will come here.”
“People now, if they look at Tamworth and it becomes too difficult, this will be the next stop. We’re only forty minutes away.
“So even professionals that go to Tamworth to work, I’m hoping they look closely at us to build and come and live in the Liverpool Plains.”
Mayor Hawkins cited the new sporting facilities, like the new cricket ground and proposed Olympic swimming pool being built, as well as the proposed Intermodal Freight Hub at Werris Creek as being attractions for future residents and business.
“It was always our aim to attract more people to the Liverpool Plains,” Hawkins said, “We just can’t build things like this for when people start to come – we have to have them there in the beginning in order to attract them.”
“We need more people. We need at least another five or six thousand people to be sustainable.”
Top image: Mayor Doug Hawkins (centre) with Barnaby Joyce (l) and Kevin Anderson (r) opening the Quipolly Water Project (Tom Plevey)
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