A Sunwater executive has shared designs for a new Paradise Dam wall with attendees of a Bundaberg agriculture forum – but could not commit to a timeline or cost for the project, warning that completing the dam will be “challenging.”
Cameron Milliner, Sunwater’s executive general manager for customer and stakeholder relations, spoke at the 2025 Bundaberg Ag Forum hosted by the Bundaberg Ag-Food and Fibre Alliance on 3 February.
The water service company’s exec presented design drawings of a proposed new Paradise Dam wall, pitched by Sunwater at the start of 2024 after its investigations found the original structure’s concrete was damaged beyond repair.
According to Mr Milliner, Sunwater aims to widen the dam’s primary spillway – its main wall – as well as lengthen and enlarge the structure’s secondary spillway.
Other changes to Paradise Dam shown in the design drawings include the left bank abutment pushing “more significantly” into the bank of the Burnett River, the dam wall’s apron extending further downstream, and the replacement of existing irrigation- and environmental outlets.
Mr Milliner said Sunwater was again considering using roller-compacted concrete for the new dam – the same material the Burnett Water Alliance used to make the now-condemned original structure.
However, the company’s executive assured the Bundaberg forum that, this time, Sunwater was committed to extensively researching and supervising the project site, quality of material used, and process of laying down the concrete.
“The challenge here is twofold: the first one is, obviously, managing the deconstruction – the cost of that – and making sure that we understand the hydrology and the interaction between the two structures that will then sit within the river,” Mr Milliner said.
Burnett irrigators looking for greater clarity around when they can expect a new dam by left the presentation disappointed, with Sunwater blaming the presence of endangered animals in the river catchment as the source of potential delays.
“We are yet to commit to a timeline in terms of when we will be able to start the project, because we need to understand the environmental approvals process that we have to go through in order to get our regulatory approvals in place, to then undertake in-river work,” the Sunwater executive explained.
“We know there are two species of national environmental significance in the river – the white-throated snapping turtle and the lungfish.”
Sunwater was reportedly in talks with the Commonwealth Government on whether the Paradise Dam rebuild will require a referral under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.
“We understand the difficulties this project has caused for the community,” Mr Milliner said.
“We understand the desire for our customers to be able to get on and plan their businesses.”
The forum’s attendees were also left in the dark on whether the Paradise Dam project’s recently increased price estimate of $4.4 billion – up from the $1.2 billion quoted to restore the now-condemned original wall – might undergo another budget blowout in the future.
Mr Milliner explained that the works to build a brand-new wall were an “order of relativity” larger than Sunwater’s initial task: the company believes it will require 1.5 million cubic metres of concrete for a new dam wall, up from the originally estimated 370,000 cubic metres for the restoration job.
Other factors involved in the project’s larger scope like design work, demolitions planning and site enabling efforts had also cast doubts on the costs of the venture at Paradise Dam.
“We will be looking to update cost estimates and work with government as that work goes through,” Mr Milliner told the forum.
“I can’t tell you right now what that will be, but we are very conscious of the fact that we need to deliver this project as efficiently and effectively as possible – and that means making sure we are delivering the most cost-effective plan that we can.”
An attendee asked whether the Commonwealth Government would commit further funding to the project after it initially set aside $600 million for the restoration of the now-obsolete original wall.
Sunwater’s executive said the company was hopeful – but unsure – if they could continue to rely on the substantial funding contribtion.
“Our expectation is that that funding remains available,” Mr Milliner said.
“As we see new project costs come through that will be a matter of negotiation.”
With the design stage of the Paradise Dam project now well underway, Sunwater has turned its attention on a range of site enabling works, investigations and road upgrades to ensure construction on the new dam wall can begin smoothly.
The forum heard Sunwater is currently working on a 10-kilometre upgrade to Paradise Dam Road including bitumen surfacing, widening, drainage and new signs expected to be completed by April this year.
Other access ways to the project site like the low-level crossing over Degilbo Creek on Grills Road and the intersection of Booyal Dallarnil Road and the Bruce Highway are also due to receive attention, with Sunwater yet to announce completion dates for either works.
The water services company was also looking into the logistics of housing its up to 500 staff required for the project on-site, planning to build a worker village on the property at Paradise Dam.
