Dalby Water Project

The Northern Water Treatment Plant is the key component of the Dalby Water Supply Upgrade Project and will be located on a new site adjacent to the existing Dalby Waste Transfer Facility.

Concept design for the water treatment plant has commenced. Further design development will be informed by the results of preliminary water quality testing from the Hutton and Condamine Alluvial raw water sources, which will help confirm treatment requirements and operational performance.

Council intends to procure the water treatment plant through a competitive Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) process, scheduled to commence in 2027. Subject to approvals and procurement outcomes, detailed design and construction are planned to be completed in 2028.

The Evaporation Ponds are a critical component of the Dalby Water Supply Upgrade Project, supporting the management of brine wastewater generated through the desalination treatment process.

The facility comprises three evaporation ponds, each approximately 12.5 hectares in size. The ponds have been designed to receive and manage wastewater streams from both the new Northern Water Treatment Plant and the existing Loudoun Water Treatment Plant.

Construction of the Evaporation Ponds is nearing completion, with the facility expected to be operational and ready to accept wastewater streams by July 2026.

The transfer pipelines form the primary trunk infrastructure linking the new Northern Water Treatment Plant and the existing Loudoun Water Treatment Plant to Dalby’s town reservoir facilities on Nicholson Street, opposite the Showgrounds.

Pipeline construction was completed in May 2025.

A significant portion of the new pipeline network is already operational and is currently supplying potable water from the existing Water Treatment Plant into Dalby’s distribution system.

The Hutton GAB Bore is located at the new Northern Water Treatment Plant site and has been drilled into the Hutton Aquifer within the Great Artesian Basin.

Preliminary yield and water quality testing has been completed and has returned positive results, confirming the bore as a viable long term raw water source for Council.

Drilling works were completed in 2023. The bore is yet to be fitted with permanent pumps, pipework, and associated control infrastructure.

These works will be delivered as part of the Northern Water Treatment Plant Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) procurement process.

In 2025, Council made the decision to pursue development of an Alluvial Bore Field to the west of the new Northern Water Treatment Plant as an alternative raw water source to the originally planned Precipice Bores.

Investigation drilling for the Alluvial Bore Field is currently underway. Preliminary yield and water quality testing has been completed and has returned positive results. The project team plans to continue the investigation drilling program, with four permanent production bores scheduled to be drilled in 2026.

Once the permanent bores are established, they will be fitted with pumps, pipework, and associated control infrastructure. New pipelines will also be constructed to transfer raw water from the bore field to the Northern Water Treatment Plant.