Sunwater’s Dam Improvement Program ensures compliance with dam safety standards, with the Burderkin Falls Dam identified as a priority. In addition to required safety upgrades, the Queensland Government considered raising the dam to meet growing water demand driven by agricultural expansion, increased mining activity in the Bowen Basin, and Townsville’s urban growth projections.

Our NCC team was engaged by Building Queensland to provide economic advisory services for a detailed business case. This included assessing service needs such as dam safety, water security, environmental and social impacts, flood risks, and irrigation needs. The project also involved a comprehensive demand assessment across irrigated agriculture, urban, and industrial sectors, including water pricing analysis, engagement with water users, and consideration of climate change scenarios and risks.

Finally, we undertook a detailed cost-benefit analysis to assess the reference projects against the base case, in line with (then) Building Queensland’s business case framework. The results provided a robust economic foundation for decision-making.