The Queensland Government’s $5 million commitment to the Lockyer Valley and Somerset Water Security Scheme (LVSWSS) marks an important step towards strengthening long-term water security and supporting the future of one of the State’s most productive agricultural regions.
The Queensland Government’s commitment of $5 million in the 2026–27 State Budget to progress the Lockyer Valley and Somerset Water Security Scheme (LVSWSS) marks an important milestone for one of Queensland’s most significant regional water infrastructure initiatives.
The funding will support the next stage of project development, including detailed design, site investigations, approvals and customer engagement. These activities will help reduce delivery risks, strengthen investment confidence and move the project towards construction readiness.
Once delivered, the scheme aims to provide an additional 22,000 megalitres of sustainable irrigation water to the Lockyer Valley and Somerset region through the use of recycled water from the Western Corridor Water Supply Scheme. The project has the potential to significantly strengthen long-term water security for one of Queensland’s most productive agricultural regions, supporting growers, regional communities and future food production.
Since late 2022, IPS has been supporting Lockyer Valley Regional Council and Somerset Regional Council as Owner’s Engineer and Project Manager, working alongside the project team to help progress this nationally significant initiative.
Over the past three years, IPS has provided strategic and technical support across business case development, optimisation assessment, procurement, reference design, stakeholder engagement, governance, funding submissions and approvals. Projects of this scale require close collaboration across government, local councils and technical specialists to navigate complex planning, technical and stakeholder requirements. IPS is proud to have contributed to the development of an initiative that has the potential to deliver lasting benefits for agriculture, regional communities and Queensland’s long-term water resilience.
IPS Managing Director and Sequana Regional Managing Director – Queensland, Sascha Kurz, said the funding announcement represents an important milestone for the project and the communities it will serve.
“This funding represents an important step forward for a project that has the potential to deliver lasting benefits for agriculture, regional communities and Queensland’s long-term water resilience. It’s encouraging to see continued investment in the infrastructure needed to support future growth, strengthen water security and build confidence for the communities and industries that rely on it.”
IPS congratulates the Queensland Government, Lockyer Valley Regional Council, Somerset Regional Council and all stakeholders involved in reaching this important milestone and looks forward to seeing the project continue to progress through its next phase.
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