Funding has been secured to improve water security for the remote community of Woorabinda.
Funding has been secured to deliver a major upgrade to Woorabinda’s water infrastructure, ending almost a year of boiled water alerts for the remote Central Queensland community.
The Queensland and Federal Governments have each committed $18 million in matched funding – $36 million in total – to construct a new water treatment plant and upgrade critical water security assets. This vital investment will restore safe, reliable drinking water to residents after 10 months of supply challenges and operational failures, that saw three of the community’s four bores out of operation and low-quality water piped in from Baralaba.
Working closely with Woorabinda Aboriginal Shire Council and key stakeholders, IPS, alongside our subject matter expert partners, Witthoft Engineering and City Water Technology, conducted comprehensive site investigations, reviewed historic records and completed detailed condition assessments of the existing water treatment infrastructure.
“Our investigations focused on evaluating the operability and suitability of current systems to ensure they can provide safe drinking water for the community over the long term,” said IPS General Manager of Engineering, Toby Chalmers.
“These insights informed practical, fit-for-purpose recommendations that have been critical to securing this funding. We’re so pleased and proud that this work has helped deliver a win for the Woorabinda community.”
As one of Australia’s most economically disadvantaged towns, the project is expected to safeguard the community’s water supply and treatment program for generations to come.
“This investment is long overdue and is going to be transformative for the residents. Access to clean drinking water is a basic human right.”
Woorabinda Aboriginal Shire Council Mayor Terence Munns welcomed the funding commitment, noting the positive impact it will have for residents. “After living under boiled water alerts for the past 10 months, our community is looking forward to having access to safe, clean drinking water,” he said. “The new water treatment plant will make a real difference to everyday life here.”
The IPS team leading the project includes Project Manager Archy Kahondo, subject matter experts Toby Chalmers and Mo Odabaee, and Project Engineers Raj Aghera, Prateek Ghavate, and Sonam Yangdon, with support from undergraduate engineer Tom Carr.
IPS looks forward to continuing its support for water security initiatives that improve health and wellbeing in rural communities across Queensland.
View all news
